The actual ideas of Niccolo Macchiavelli are not the same as the behavior of Machiavellian figures on stage. Niccolo Macchiavelli was interested in how a prince could maintain power, and he provided his analysis of this. But on the stage, “Machiavellian” figures are shown to be manipulative and violent without the same reasons that the Prince has to need to hold onto power and, overall, keep the peace for his people. So stage Machiavels tend to be just immoral villains.
