A comparison of Prince Hamlet and Machiavelli's PrinceMachiavelli 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 to use it, according to the necessities of the case. Machiavelli's ideas compare and contrast with the methods used by Hamlet. Hamlet's desire to drive the king mad and possibly kill him is what he thinks he must do to make things right. Hamlet struggles to maintain his position as prince. Perhaps he lacks the essential qualities of a prince described by Machiavelli. According to Machiavelli, the pursuit of anything considered virtuous and praiseworthy will only lead to the ruin of the prince. This is very true in Hamlet's case, as he seeks to avenge his father's death. The battle between good and evil is constantly at the forefront of Hamlet's mind, as he hesitates between acting in a civil manner or taking outright revenge. At first, Hamlet struggles to remain good at all times, but this causes him extreme anxiety. Hamlet is an honest man who mourns his father. He suffers from the dishonesty of other members of the court, particularly his mother and uncle, and later Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Hamlet is able to see through them all and realize that they are dishonest. He said these words to Guildenstern: “Everything but apropos. You have been sent for, and there is a sort of confession in your looks, which your modesties have not skill enough to color. I know that the good king and good queen have sent for you." (Hamlet, II, ii., 278-280) Hamlet's honesty is also seen when he speaks with his mother. In Act I, scene ii, Gertrude asks him why in the middle of paper... his goal was to gain and keep power He wanted to prove that Claudius was an unfit king, and he did so, but only while Hamlet gave him. -even was about to die. Hamlet must have caused grief by killing the king, but in the end, he is considered a hero, because he unmasked his father's killer Sources cited and consulted: Gray, Terry. A. “Mr. William Shakespeare and the Internet". http://www.palomar.edu/Library/shake.htm.Jones, WT 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 Academic Writers. Boston, Massachusetts: Bedford/St. Martin's, 1998. Niccolo The Prince. , 1980. Shakespeare, William. The Hamlet in three texts. Ed. Paul Bertram and Bernice Kliman., 1991.