Cesare Borgia (1476-1507): Theme Figure of Machiavelli's Prince.

Though Machiavelli describes how Borgia sought to triumph, he was ultimately a failure and the text may be a satire on criminal politicians. Similarly Shakespeare's villain, Richard III, claims: "Why, I can smile, and murder whiles I smile, / And cry 'Content!' to that which grieves my heart, / And wet my cheeks with artificial fears, / And frame my face to all occasions.... / I can add colours to the chameleon / Change shapes with Proteus for advantages, / And set the murderous Machiavel to school. / Can I do this, and cannot get a crown?" in Henry VII, Part 3 (3.2.182-5,191-94). Yet he too ultimately fails as do similarly manipulative politicians in Shakespeare such as King John, Cassius,Claudius, etc. The implicit hero of The Prince is not Cesare but Scipio Africanus (235–183 BC), the Roman general who defeated Hannibal and resisted all temptations to cruelty and tyranny.

Picture by Altobello Melone: Portrait of Gentleman, aka Cesare Borgia (1500 - 1524); oil on panel at Galleria dell'Accademia CarraraBergamo, Italia. Picture and data courtesy of the Yorck Project, under Creative Commons Attribution-Share- Alike License (Wikipedia).