Out of context, it is understandable that Machiavelli was assumed to be evil with comments such as, “It is far safer to be feared than loved.” Many political leaders use the term Machiavellian to describe candidates for being too aggressive. 

Machiavelli writes that a prince should be merciful rather than cruel; however, if it comes down to choosing between the two, he argues that being feared is the better option. 

Machiavelli does recognize that if a prince is too cruel, he will be disliked by the people, later adding that a prince should avoid being hated. 

This does not justify claiming Machiavelli is evil as he is only providing reasonable advice that the political situation called for. 

Machiavelli’s “The Prince” is easy to comprehend; he uses historical examples and references to other princes to argue his reasons for being a good leader. He makes many strong arguments to prove his suggestions’ relevancy. 

When it comes to current events, besides the easy comparison of Trump and Machiavellian traits, the recent decision of Prince Harry and Meghan, Dutch of Sussex, to leave the royal family can be similarly compared. 

Harry and Meghan have recently announced that they are giving up their royal titles and plan to exit the royal family. 

They were given an ultimatum: to stay in the royal family or leave, and there was no chance at a compromise. Machiavelli writes, “Hereditary states, accustomed to the family of their Prince, are maintained with far less difficulty than new states.” He explains that people prefer continuity and tradition over change and therefore it is much easier to rule over people who are familiar with certain traditions. 

There was controversy when Meghan married into the royal family because she was an American woman of color. The concept of an American being married into the family disrupted many previous traditions. When Harry and Meghan made the decision to pursue their own personal income, they had planned to continue representing the Queen. The royal family had to give Harry and Meghan a choice because they needed to keep with custom. 

While it was unfair for Harry and Meghan to not be able to compromise in their position, I don’t agree with the reasoning behind why they left  because of the criticism that Meghan received from the public. The royal family was not wrong in making them choose. With as much power as the royal family has, they have to uphold themselves to a certain level to appease their general public. 

While Machiavelli did use some reasoning that could be considered cruel, he also had a few suggestions that were in favor of the people. To keep people happy, he recommended princes offer rewards such as entertaining people with festivals and shows. He understood that although taking a new state might require more forceful methods, once acquired, a prince had to keep his people happy in order to stay in power. 

Overall, Machiavelli has some harsh points, but he was justified in his reasoning because certain situations made it necessary to be more aggressive in order to be a strong leader.