Great Rulers and What Makes Them Successful Essay

After reading Machiavelli’s The Prince and watching Shakespeare’s Henry V in class, one begins to notice similarities between the authors’ idea of what a “perfect king” should be. The patterns between the ideal ruler of Shakespeare and the ideal ruler of Machiavelli can be seen in numerous instances throughout this story. For the duration of this essay, I will compare the similarities in both pieces to give the reader a better understanding of how Shakespeare devised his view of what a “perfect king” should be.

In chapter XV Machiavelli discusses how it is important to appear as a virtuous ruler, but to not actually possess these qualities. He states, “ one is considered a giver, the other rapacious; one cruel, another merciful; one treacherous, another faithful; one effeminate and cowardly, another bold and courageous; one humane, another haughty; one lascivious, another chaste; one trustworthy, another cunning; one harsh another lenient; one serious another frivolous; one religious another unbelieving; and the like. And I know that everyone will admit that it would be a very praiseworthy thing to find in a prince, of the qualities mentioned above, those that are held to be good; but since it is neither possible to have them nor observe them all completely, because human nature does not permit it, a prince must be prudent enough to know how to escape the bad reputation of those vices that would lose the state for him” (The Portable Machiavelli 127). In this chapter Machiavelli is suggesting that a good ruler can’t be virtuous at all times because it would not be in the best interest of the people.

There are many reasons in which the Persian empire is considered one of the greatest civilizations ever in human history and this can mostly be attributed to the stupendous leadership of the one and only Cyrus the great. One of the best kings that the world has ever seen and was the most dominant man in his era. He was brilliant and extremely powerful as he was smart and strong enough to conquer almost every single land within his area and put them all together into one persian empire. The legacy that Cyrus left behind him was one that every king after him tried to follow. For example, emperor Darius I still continued the expansion of the persian empire and reigned control over it as well. After Cyrus died there was a time in which there was nothing but trash rulers and then Darius I came into power. As I stated earlier Darius wanted to follow in the steps of Cyrus and be even greater than him so Darius builded on what Cyrus achieved and split the persian empire into multiple provinces to control the government a little easier. Another thing that made persia so successful was the fact that they tolerated non-Persian folks to live in their empire. There were many different types of people all across persia and the government did not force anything upon these non-Persian residents and let them live their lives how they had before arriving and they only had to pay taxes. Due to this the

This paper discusses Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, and Julius Caesar. Alexander the Great was the leader of Macedonia from 336-323 B.C., Genghis Khan was the leader of Mongolia from 1206-1227, and Julius Caesar was the leader of Rome from 49-44 B.C.. , , These leaders were chosen because throughout history they have left an amazing legacy and accolades rarely seized by others. These three rulers will always be remembered as some of the best leaders the world has ever seen.

Cyrus the Great and King Ashoka were successful rulers because they both developed laws to protect their kingdom, valued their citizen’s rights and religions, and had a strong military. While they both had a thriving empire, they developed them in different ways. In order to be a good ruler, he must be liked by your subjects. Cyrus the Great as well as King Ashoka had strong leadership skills that enabled them to lead their people with confidence and power. They both wanted their kingdom to grow continuously. Historians today often refer to Cyrus the Great and King Ashoka as the most powerful rulers of their time.

The ancient civilizations had very different ways of running their empires throughout their time. The Persians and Greeks held very true to this statement. They both had different sources that contributed to the power they held. The Persians had a very large empire and had a specific way of controlling it. First lets see how the Persians came to be. Cyrus, the son of the Assyrian king, was supposed to be killed as a baby. He was instead taken to a village that soon became called Persia. As Cyrus matured, the people could tell he had the characteristics of a king. He soon became just that. He didn’t want to be just a ruler though, he wanted to be different. His tactics were based on mercy, forgiveness, and compassion. Cyrus did go to war still

During his conquests, he would allow the people to keep their religions and cultural differences, while allowing them to part of the Persian Empire. While Cyrus did allow these freedoms, he also was able to create an empire-wide trade network as well as a commanding

To commence, Cyrus the Great, who ruled most of Persia during the 500s, and King Ashoka , emperor of the Maurya Dynasty from 268 to 232 BCE, both shared similar characteristics that made them great rulers, yet had their differences that made them unique in their own way. Furthermore, both Ashoka and Cyrus the Great were both knowledgeable, respectable, and tolerated by their own people, making them extraordinary leaders. Although, in comparison Ashoka was much more aggressive due to his extreme fear factor on everyone and his strong Buddhist beliefs. In comparison, Cyrus was much more lovable, understandable, and did anything possible for his people. To conclude, both King Ashoka and Cyrus the Great, were both powerful and intrepid leaders

Cyrus, typically known as Cyrus the Great, was the king of the Persians that lived from 576 to 530 B.C. He became the king of the Persians in 559 B.C. and reigned until 530 B.C. During this time, people were fighting for power and control of the Fertile Crescent and of Asia Minor. Cyrus was mainly known for his large respect and tolerance to other religions and his highly peaceful actions to people he conquered. He was also known for being one of the few people able to control and hold control one of the biggest empires, even after death.

Significance- They still worked but they were not forced to work and could live on their own.

For centuries, Alexander the Great has held an eminent place in history. Arguably one of the greatest men the world has ever known, the Macedonian King accomplished many great feats in his short, but glorious life. During his reign, Alexander played several roles in the process of conquering the Persian empire, and in the assessment of his character, aspects of Alexander's capabilities of both strengths and weaknesses must be explored in him as a person, a statesman and a leader.

Cyrus, rather than marching onwards and leaving a path of destruction in his wake as many empire-builders of his time did, instead won the favors of the people he defeated, keeping their homes and cultures intact yet also not only giving them the opportunity to join him, but having them want to be ruled by him. Cyrus was an attractive leader who through his life,

Machiavelli’s interpretation of human nature was greatly shaped by his belief in God. In his writings, Machiavelli conceives that humans were given free will by God, and the choices made with such freedom established the innate flaws in humans. Based on that, he attributes the successes and failure of princes to their intrinsic weaknesses, and directs his writing towards those faults. His works are rooted in how personal attributes tend to affect the decisions one makes and focuses on the singular commanding force of power. Fixating on how the prince needs to draw people’s support, Machiavelli emphasizes the importance of doing what is best for the greater good. He proposed that working toward a selfish goal, instead of striving towards a better state, should warrant punishment. Machiavelli is a practical person and always thought of pragmatic ways to approach situations, applying to his notions regarding politics and

Cyrus the Great became ruler of the Persians because he did not want to be controlled by the meads and along with his nomadic warriors, he overtook them. Previously, the Medes had an Iranian religion of whom the Magi were like the priests of Persia and with their great architectural knowledge, they build fire temples which were used by the Magi to perform ceremonies & rituals. This religion derived from magic and astrology, principles of dualism (good & Evil) and resurrection. This religion is one of the causes for which Cyrus the great, rebelled against the Medes. With his army, he conquered most of Asia and remained in power because of the type of ruler that he was. Cyrus allowed the people to keep their customs and practice their own religions, worship their own gods and carry their separate rituals,

To begin with, these three leaders have exhibited the passion of being a great leader by causing admiration and inspiration. According to “Suleiman the Magnificent”, it states, “An aggressive military leader, he was feared but also admired by people in other lands. His people called him Kanuni, ‘the Lawgiver.’ ” Due to his strength and ability to lead his people to success, he was able to gain admiration from other residents in various locations. This admiration proves that