The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli was written in 1513 but not published until 1532. This book analyzes political power in the western world during the 16th century. Machiavelli discussed ways an aspiring prince can take the throne. He emphasized the need for stability in a prince’s principality, and also the need for acceptance from the prince’s subjects. Machiavelli justified rule by force rather than by law, and The Prince displayed Machiavelli’s actions. The Prince, overall, was an interesting book, but was merely a guidebook on how to rule according to Niccolo Machiavelli. It went into great depth on all of the aspects a prince must have to be a good prince, according to Machiavelli. Machiavelli stated that a prince must have a good reputation, have a strong army, and cannot be too generous. Machiavelli discussed many other things that must be exhibited by a prince. I didn’t like this book very much because it wasn’t exciting, and there was no story line to it. It was basically just a “how-to ” book.-Harriet Tubman
