Machiavellian Characters?

[Chilly]

Hey I recently read an old classic from the non-fiction world: the Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli. As you guys probably know, it talks about what a prince should be like. He should always be willing to do evil when it helps him get ahead, he shouldn't mind being cruel, he should pretend to be religious and kind even though he isn't, he should seize opportunities and shouldn't rely on fortune or others, etc. Well, I just read a novel where three characters each clearly matched the definition of being 'Machiavellian' and it makes me wonder if there are others out there too.

Macbeth is pretty Machiavellian, as far as I remember. What are some other characters who stand out as being really Machiavellian? Especially protagonists?

I just think that the idea of a Machiavellian protagonist is fascinating.

Any thoughts?

[cacian]

Hey I recently read an old classic from the non-fiction world: the Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli. As you guys probably know, it talks about what a prince should be like. He should always be willing to do evil when it helps him get ahead, he shouldn't mind being cruel, he should pretend to be religious and kind even though he isn't, he should seize opportunities and shouldn't rely on fortune or others, etc. Well, I just read a novel where three characters each clearly matched the definition of being 'Machiavellian' and it makes me wonder if there are others out there too.

Macbeth is pretty Machiavellian, as far as I remember. What are some other characters who stand out as being really Machiavellian? Especially protagonists?

I just think that the idea of a Machiavellian protagonist is fascinating.

Any thoughts?
I'd say there is a Machiavellian in all of us.
Although funnily enough Machiavellain sounds like Macho/Maffia Villain combined to me.
Why do you find Machiavellian protagonist if I may ask?

[MementoMori]

You should read Christopher Marlowe's play, The Jew of Malta. The prologue is spoken by a character named Machevill, who represents the spirit of Machiavelli and the main character, Barabas, is definitely machiavellian in his ways.

There was also a well-received novel published a few years back named Wolf Hall. It's an historical novel about the life of Thomas Cromwell who rose from poverty to become Henry VIII's most powerful minister. It's filled with courtly intrigue and Cromwell could definitely be described as machiavellian.

[AuntShecky]

The previously mentioned Marlowe play is a good one, as is Tamburlaine. His contemporary, Shakespeare, offers several Machiavellian themes and characters, not just in the Scottish Play but also Richard III. Maybe you could include Julius Caesar, or even Titus Andronicusand Timon of Athens, the latter two plays seldom read-- for good reason!

A number of twentieth century works, strictly American, come to mind. One is All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren. Willy Stark starts out as a simple, populist politican but the system spoils his earnest idealism. You remember the old adage: "Power corrupts."

If you want to include movies in your list, how about The Candidate (1972), Seven Days in May (1964), and A Face in the Crowd (1957)? That last one, starring the late Andy Griffith, depicted a radio star who exploited his popularity with Machiavellian tactics.

[OrphanPip]

The Machiavel is a typical character archetype for villains in later Renaissance literature, largely based off of common readings of Machiavelli at the time. The Enlightenment interpreted Machiavelli as a warning against tyranny, and how little people in power can be trusted, which tends to be the way such characters are used in literature after that point.

[PeterL]

You might want to read Discourses on the First Ten Books of Titus Livius by Niccolo Machiavelli. Then you might want to look into the circumstances under whic he wrote each work.
It is available online: http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/toc/modeng/public/MacDisc.html

You might also want to read a biography of Niccolo. He was an interesting man, a Renaissance man. After that you might try to figure out what a "Machiavellian Character" might be like.

[Calidore]

I'd say there is a Machiavellian in all of us.
Although funnily enough Machiavellain sounds like Macho/Maffia Villain combined to me.
Why do you find Machiavellian protagonist if I may ask?

Sounds like you're confusing "protagonist" with "hero", but they're not the same thing. Protagonist means the main character, who could be a hero or, depending on his behavior, an anti-hero.