A comparison between Prince Hamlet and Machiavelli's Prince Machiavelli states that "it is necessary for a prince, who wishes to maintain himself, to learn not to be good, and to use this knowledge and not use it, according to the need of the case." Machiavelli's ideas compare and contrast with the methods used by Hamlet. Hamlet's desire to drive the king mad and ultimately kill him is what he thinks he needs to do to make things right. Hamlet struggles to maintain his position as a prince. Perhaps he lacks the essential qualities of a prince outlined by Machiavelli. According to Machiavelli, the pursuit of all things considered virtuous and praiseworthy will only lead to the ruin of the prince. This is completely true in Hamlet's case, because he is on a quest to avenge his father's death. The battle between good and evil is constantly at the forefront of Hamlet's mind, as he vacillates between acting civilly or taking outright revenge. At first Hamlet struggles to always remain good, but this causes him extreme anguish. Hamlet is an honest man, who suffers for his father. He suffers from the dishonesty of others at court, especially his mother and uncle, and later Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Hamlet is able to see them all and realize that they are dishonest. He says these words to Guildenstern: "All but the purpose. You are sent for, and there is a kind of confession in your countenance, which your modesty has failed to color enough. I know the good king and queen they sent for you." (Hamlet, II, ii., 278-280)Hamlet's honesty is also seen when he talks to his mother. In Act I, Scene II, Gertrude asks him why his goal was to gain and maintain power. He wanted to prove that Claudius was an unfit king, and he did, but only when Hamlet himself was about to die. Hamlet had to cause pain by killing the king, but in the end he is seen as a hero, because he exposed his father's murderer. Sources Cited and Consulted: Gray, Terry A. "Mr. William Shakespeare and the Internet." http://www.palomar.edu/Library/shake.htm.Jones, W.T. Masters of Political Thought. Ed. Edward, McChesner and Sait. vol. 2. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1947. Lee A. Jacobus. A World of Ideas: Essential Readings for College Writers. 5th edition. Boston, Massachusetts: Bedford/St. Martin's, 1998.Machiavelli, Niccolò. The prince. Trans. Hill Thompson. Norwalk: The Easton Press, 1980.Shakespeare, William. Hamlet in three texts. Eds. Paul Bertram and Bernice Kliman. New York: AMS Press, 1991.