“The Prince,” by Niccolo Machiavelli, is a series of letters written to the current leader of Italy, Lorenzo de' Medici. These letters are a practical guide on what to do and what not to do. He uses examples to further express his point of view on the subject. The main goal was to inform the reader on how to rule effectively and be an acceptable prince. Any ruler wishing to maintain absolute control of his principality must demonstrate not only wisdom and skill, but also cunning and cruelty by appealing to fear rather than love. Machiavelli writes this book as a summary of all the deeds of great men. Machiavelli's ultimate goal is to inform the prince on how to maintain his principality and secure his place. The prince must retain power and can do anything to gain and keep it, as long as it does not negatively affect his subjects. Some methods may include stealing land, making empty promises, and deceiving people in order to stay on top. Machiavelli says: “The fundamental principles that all States have, whether new or old, or mixed, are good laws and good weapons; and because there cannot be good laws where there are good weapons; and where there are good weapons, there must be good laws. (Letter 12) Without good armies there cannot be good laws, but if a state has a strong army it shows that the state has good laws that are enforced. It's crucial to establish a solid foundation, because after spending so long working your way to the top, he wouldn't want everything to fall apart. This means eliminating rivals and gaining followers. Machiavelli says: “Those who by fortune only become princes of individuals, with little difficulty in attaining it, but have great difficulty in maintaining it; and finds no difficulty on the way, because they are transported there with...... in the middle of paper... the route to follow to gain power, keep one's reign and how to maintain one's military. A prince's ultimate goal is to maintain his position and rule, and a prince may cheat, steal, and lie to achieve this goal. Machiavelli seems to favor a Principality over Republics in this case because a Prince will be safer in a hereditary Principality because the subjects are more accustomed to the Prince's blood. Machiavelli's simple advice on the art of war is to use one's own army and that a prince should always study the art of war. The ideal situation between a Prince and his subjects is to be feared rather than loved, so that there is order. There is a difference between being feared and hated, and as long as the prince does not take a subject's property, wife, or execute a subject without good reason.