Using Machiavelli to Make Your Stories Better

It is without a doubt that Game of Thrones is one of the best fantasy book series/television shows for this generation. Its gray themes, scheming characters, and worldbuilding stand above the rest and rival even that of Tolkien’s Middle Earth. Even if Grimdark isn’t your cup of tea, you can’t disagree that a LOT was put into the GOT universe.

But one of the things that makes the series so good is its political intrigue and Machiavellian politics.

What is Political Intrigue?

Political intrigue is defined by Dictionary.com as “to plot craftily or underhandedly.”. In the political arena, this would mean in places like the king’s courts, government senates, etc. One of the most famous examples would be the Ides of March, where Julias Ceaser was stabbed 23 times by senators who thought the ruler had grown too far-reaching.

The practice of political intrigue has probably gone as far back as politics itself but can go beyond kings, war councils, and advisors. Office politics or playing the political game in academia are other situations where people pry on the wants and needs of others in order to climb their own ladder (made of chaos perhaps?).

I am sure that even by dipping our toes into this discussion, you can see the opportunities that arise for implementing this into your own stories, ttrpg’s, or video games.

Tyrion Lannister: A Quick Example

It’s what makes stories like GOT so captivating. Tyrion Lannister, a man sent to procure order in King’s Landing, makes one of the best political moves in the entire series to see who he can and can’t trust. Tyrion tells three people, three separate arrangements he wants to make to form alliances with other great houses and gain power for Tyrion and the person he is discussing with. The only requirement is that they do not tell his sister, the queen.

Of course, the traitor tells the queen about the private discussion he had with Tyrion and the queen confronts him with the political arrangement. Tyrion now knows that the mole he feared existing within the court does in fact exist and that his name is Master Pycell. By feeding three people, three separate arrangements, he can instantly know who betrayed his trust when he was confronted with information.

Machiavellian politics like this can pull your audience in and show the cunning of characters and add layers to a flat story. But what are Machiavellian politics and how can you use The Prince as a reference for your next writing session?

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DISCORD

Who was Machiavelli?

Niccolò Machiavelli had a notable resume. He was a diplomat, author, philosopher, and historian who lived in Italy and worked under the King of Florence. Today, he is known in political science and other adjacent fields as the modern Father of Politics.

This was a result of probably his most famous work, The Prince, which was written to gain the favor of prince Lorenzo de’ Medici but would go beyond that with his analysis of powerful people and statesmanship throughout history.

His “ends justify the means” type of politics that Machiavelli encouraged had and continues to have a divided reception from those who read The Prince. However the information contained within the pages of this collection of essays can be useful for a variety of reasons. Whether it is implementing some of them in your own life and gaining the upper hand in your pursuits, or analyzing what Machiavelli says to use it in character creation, the insights revealed have shown that it can be used for both good and evil.

In the rest of this article (and some planned future articles), we will be going through portions of this work to gain some insights into being a ruler and using Machiavellian politics to improve our political intrigue. This article will put an emphasis on worldbuilding and foundations for why a character would want to plot and scheme and future articles will focus on personalities and interplay.

The Prince

As touched on earlier, Machiavelli wrote this book for the Prince of Florence. It was meant as a guide for the young man for when he would begin to take political action. Urging the theme that rulers should consider what kind of regime they are inheriting, striving to maintain or improve their positions even if this means immoral acts and the kind of advisors you surround yourself with.

Chapters 1-3, which we will be covering in this article, will cover the kinds of governments, inheritance, and groups abroad. By examining these chapters, we will be able to glean insights and implement them to improve our own works.

You can order a copy of The Prince on Amazon (here) or there are plenty of free copies online.

Chapter 1: The Various Kinds of Government and the Ways by Which They Are Established

If you aren’t sure if you want to commit to this 94-page book, I encourage you to at least try Chapter 1. It’s only half a page but holds basic foundational knowledge.

It basically sums down all governments to either republics or monarchies.

Monarchies, as Machiavelli describes, are either hereditary and have been passed down within the same family line for generations, or they have been recently founded. The recently founded ones are either entirely new or are new members adjacent to an already existing government.

That means that regions are either accustomed to the rule of a prince or else have been free states that have been acquired by force, fortune, etc.

Machiavelli doesn’t dwell on republics in this book as he already talks about it in length in other works like Discourses on Livy.

Using This Information for Yourself

The first thing that screams at me when I read this is WORLDBUILDING.

Worldbuilding is one of the most important pillars of creating sci-fi and fantasy settings. Brandon Sanderson says “These stories are about characters and yet the worlbuilding is what sets us apart” ⁴ and I fully agree with him.

We go about our days and commit to actions that are dictated as allowed by our government overlords. They hold a lot of power over societies, and whatever form they take will be influential in different ways. Deciding this has to be a first step.

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Chapter 2: Of Hereditary Monarchies

Get comfortable because if you thought the last chapter was a lot, this one is doubly worse. Literally, it’s a full page of content versus the half page that was squeezed out of chapter 1.

In this section, Machiavelli expands upon the nuances of inheriting or forming a new monarchy. Basically, it is a lot easier to rule a country that is used to being ruled by a family that has ruled for a while. This allows the prince to not overexert himself and make it more difficult for others to transgress against established kingdoms.

The only exception is if the opposition is uniquely very exceptional and excessively uses force (plot ideas are erupting from this sentence alone) to overthrow the current sitting ruler.

Machiavelli uses the Duke of Ferrara as an example but I’d like to round back to Game of Thrones and another favorite scene of mine:

When Stannis Baratheon’s forces try to take King’s Landing, we are shown part of the battle through my favorite character, Davos Seaworth. In this scene, his son mentions that the city folk would probably throw open the gates of the city to let their saviors into the city.

Davos pities the boy’s optimism, expressing that from their side it may look like that, but to those living within the walls of King’s Landing, they are foreign usurpers trying to tear down their government. This scene is something writers should strive for when writing about multiple forces fighting against each other. Not everyone is going to share the same views as your POV character.

Using This Information for Yourself

As I started to ramble on towards the end, this can be interesting in establishing different motives for two or more opposing forces. Not everyone is going to get along and hold hands. You need conflict of some kind to sustain an interesting story.

Additionally, I think this chapter also works for adding depth to a ruler. I find that they are hard to write about when I plan my own Dungeons and Dragons game. Putting the ruler in these situations and thinking hard about how that would affect a person’s psyche can influence the narrative and if the ruler isn’t a main character, have their actions affect the main POVs.

Chapter 3: Of Mixed Monarchies

As mentioned in Chapter 1, a new monarchy is harder to manage than an inherited one for several reasons.

Firstly, more likely than not, you would’ve had to injure some people in one way or another to get a grasp on this new extension of your kingdom. Therefore, you would’ve had to have made some enemies. The population might have even welcomed you with open arms, but how long can you keep up their high expectations of you? Machevllie describes that the people would soon think that their situation went from bad to worse due to the inherent nature of injury when overthrowing a government and making promises to those you bribed to assist you.

Secondly, if the country you acquired has a population that speaks a different language or has a substantially different culture than you, this will also make things more difficult as there will be a lot of walls you will have to overcome and a lot of feet you will consequently step on.

But all is not lost, if one wishes to hold this new country, they just have to make sure that the former lord’s family is extinguished so no one has claim to the throne (as King Robert Baratheon tried to do with the Targaryens) and that you don’t raise the taxes after you capture the country (most peasants don’t care who rules them as long as they can feed their family and get necessities).

In addition, it is paramount that those who took over reside in their conquered lands either by envoys or even better, the rulers themselves. This prevents schemes and ploys from being grown in the freshly bloodied soil.

Lastly, if the kingdom forms a new colony instead of a direct attachment, it does not take as many resources. It offends only those who the prince has taken land and house from and afterward, they are often too poor of wealth and power to fight back. Just be cautious of placing a sizeable army there, as armies are known to eat through gold.

Using This Information for Yourself

Political intrigue plot lines are aplenty in this chapter. Make your characters strive for more in other rulers and then have to face the consequences of their actions if their princes don’t live up to expectations.

Give voices to those who face colonization and imperialism in your stories. This can be reasons plenty for someone to scheme a usurper plot. What is it like for someone from a foreign land that speaks not your tongue or understand your culture to rule over you?

Power and wealth are on display in this section as well. Characters could be greedy or power-hungry and would promise someone else’s lands and riches if they assisted them with a goal first. Not a lot of people do things out of the kindness of their heart, especially if it involves their safety and way of life.

To Keep In Mind

Another thing to keep in mind is that most people who are involved in Machellvalian political intrigue plots almost know that they are in these plots. What I mean is that everyone involved should know the points made in The Prince and know that others know this as well. What matters most in these positions are knowledge and allies.

If everyone knows the same thing, we are on an equal playing field. So you must have your characters know more than the others if they want to survive with their head. Additionally, it is always better to gather allies to pool knowledge together and further solidify your strength. That is what makes characters like Varys, otherwise known as the spider, so intimidating and useful. One known rumor can be the difference between a dynasty and a beheading.

Resources:

1. Machiavelli, N. (2003). The prince (G. Bull, Trans.). Penguin Classics. (Original work published 1532)
2. https://www.dictionary.com/browse/intrigue
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niccol%C3%B2_Machiavelli
4. https://goteenwriters.com/2014/09/25/brandon-sanderson-on-worldbuilding/

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