Machiavelli's Influence on Shakespeare's Plays
This essay examines the influence of Niccolò Machiavelli's political philosophy, particularly as expressed in The Prince, on William Shakespeare's dramatic works. Drawing on Julius Caesar, Macbeth, and Richard III, the paper traces how Machiavellian ideas about power, appearance versus reality, fear versus love, and the ethics of rulership appear in Shakespeare's characterizations of ambitious and villainous figures. The essay also argues that Shakespeare ultimately challenges Machiavelli's separation of ethics from politics, as his plays consistently show that rulers who go too far — inspiring hatred rather than mere fear — are overthrown by both natural and supernatural forces aligned with justice.
- Introduction: Machiavelli and the Elizabethan Stage: Machiavelli's controversial politics shaped Shakespearean villainy
- Flattery and Poor Counsel in Julius Caesar: Caesar's refusal of honest counsel leads to assassination
- Appearance vs. Reality in Macbeth: Macbeth embodies Machiavelli's advice to seem virtuous
- The Limits of Machiavellian Rule: Macbeth's Downfall: Ethics and fate undermine Macbeth's ruthless ambition
- Fear, Hatred, and the Long-Term Costs of Power: Richard III and Macbeth inspire hatred, ensuring their ruin
- Shakespeare's Verdict on Machiavellian Politics: Shakespeare critiques Machiavelli through heavenly and popular justice
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What makes this paper effective
- Direct quotation from both Machiavelli's The Prince and Shakespeare's plays is used side by side, allowing the reader to see textual parallels rather than simply being told they exist.
- The paper moves beyond simple source-tracing to argue a thesis: that Shakespeare ultimately refutes Machiavelli's divorce of ethics from politics, giving the essay a clear analytical through-line.
- Each body paragraph focuses on a single play or concept, keeping the argument organized and easy to follow.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates effective comparative textual analysis — pairing a primary theoretical source (The Prince) with literary primary sources (the plays) to show influence and divergence. Rather than merely summarizing each text, the writer identifies specific passages in Machiavelli and maps them onto specific scenes and lines in Shakespeare, producing evidence-based literary argument.
Structure breakdown
The essay opens with a contextual introduction establishing Machiavelli's historical significance and his connection to Shakespeare. Three central body sections each focus on a different Shakespearean play or thematic problem (counsel and flattery, appearance vs. reality, fear vs. hatred). A penultimate paragraph consolidates the counterargument before the conclusion synthesizes the overall claim about Shakespeare's implicit critique of Machiavellian statecraft.
Introduction: Machiavelli and the Elizabethan Stage
The Italian Renaissance philosopher and political adviser Niccolò Machiavelli is one of the most famous — and infamous — writers on the subject of politics. Despite the common use of the word Machiavellian as a synonym for evil, Machiavelli's seminal tract The Prince was considered groundbreaking because of its emphasis on the practical nature of holding power rather than on a philosophy of the divine right of kings. Cunning rather than religion was the reason leaders triumphed, according to Machiavelli. He was not necessarily opposed to democracy, but he advocated strong-armed techniques because, from the prince's perspective, these methods were simply superior for holding territories. Machiavelli offered hard-headed words of wisdom in place of ethical theories. His unsentimental and irreligious attitude towards kingship was deeply controversial and influenced many of the villains depicted in the Elizabethan playwright William Shakespeare's plays, including Julius Caesar, Macbeth, and Richard III.
Flattery and Poor Counsel in Julius Caesar
From a modern reader's perspective, some of Machiavelli's advice is quite sensible, including the following passage: "a wise prince ought to hold a third course by choosing the wise men in his state, and giving to them only the liberty of speaking the truth to him … but he ought to question them upon everything, and listen to their opinions, and afterwards form his own conclusions" (XXII). This counsel against flattery can be seen clearly in Julius Caesar. Caesar is suspicious of Cassius, one of the main conspirators against him, yet says he prefers to have men around him who are "fat," while "Cassius has a lean and hungry look. / He thinks too much. Such men are dangerous" (1.2). Caesar's refusal to heed those who warn him — including the soothsayer — and his determination not to appear weak when his wife Calpurnia begs him not to go to the Capitol ultimately lead to his assassination. He fears men who think too much, and he dies as a result of poor, flattering advice, compounded by his own arrogance in ignoring the real danger posed by Cassius.
Appearance vs. Reality in Macbeth
Machiavelli is also explicit that rulers who wish to hold their position must focus on what they seem to be, rather than what they truly are: "it is unnecessary for a prince to have all the good qualities I have enumerated, but it is very necessary to appear to have them … to have them and always to observe them is injurious, and that to appear to have them is useful; to appear merciful, faithful, humane, religious, upright … you may be able and know how to change to the opposite" (XVIII). These words find a direct echo in Shakespeare's Macbeth. Lady Macbeth advises her husband to "look like the innocent flower, / But be the serpent under't" (I.V). Macbeth's bloody reign has been widely characterized as Machiavellian: it begins with violence, and Macbeth views such violence as necessary to secure his throne. He even kills his dear friend Banquo when he suspects that Banquo no longer supports him. "I am in blood / Stepped in so far that, should I wade no more, / Returning were as tedious as go o'er" (III.3). This reflects Machiavelli's observation that kingdoms won by bloodshed against resistant populations must be ruled with a heavy hand — a reality Macbeth has created entirely through his own choices.
References
Machiavelli, N. (2013). The Prince. Project Gutenberg. Retrieved from https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1232/1232-h/1232-h.htm#link2HCH0006
Shakespeare, W. (1993). Julius Caesar. Shakespeare Homepage. Retrieved from http://shakespeare.mit.edu/julius_caesar/index.html
Shakespeare, W. (1993). Macbeth. Shakespeare Homepage. Retrieved from http://shakespeare.mit.edu/macbeth/index.html
Shakespeare, W. (1993). Richard III. Shakespeare Homepage. Retrieved from http://shakespeare.mit.edu/richardiii/index.html
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