Hal is a cold and calculating Machiavellian ruler. According to popular Machiavelli theory, being a successful leader has nothing to do with being a nice person or doing the right thing. Rather, it is about being inventive, manipulative, clever and willful. Hal is an intelligent character who put all of these attributes to good use when he hatched a grand plan to deceive everyone around him in order to gain power. One critic claims that there are traditionally two common ways of interpreting the development of Prince Hal. The first is to see it as a celebration of a great king in training who grows in his responsibilities and becomes a mature political leader. The second view sees Prince Hal as a cold Machiavelli who uses his friends as means to political ends, without much concern for their feelings. (Johnston 1). Hal understands that those of high birth have a greater responsibility to be honorable. The jealousy that accompanies the persistent protection of one's honor is a characteristic seen in almost all noble figures, but Hal's attitude toward honor is different from those around him, particularly Hotspur. Unlike Hotspur, who respects the code of honor, Hal intends to abuse it by delaying his acquisition of honor so that when he achieves it, his reputation will seem greater than it is. would have been originally. For Hal, reputation is just a disguise that can be improved. Hal will simply use Hotspur to redeem his own reputation. His plan to exploit dishonor for advantage shows how manipulative he can be to get what he wants. Instead of seeing honor as a valuable ideal to which life itself must be sacrificed, Hal sees an honorable reputation as a useful political commodity, and he intends to exploit appearances...... middle of paper ... ...r courses in order to use these newly acquired talents in politics and on the battlefield. Like his father, he bends the rules to his will and masters the art of reacting when the situation changes. His first soliloquy reveals that he wants to impose himself on the political scene. Hal knows his famous return to royalty will seem extraordinary because he frequented the Badlands. Hal's soliloquy also tells us that he knows that the vital quality of the powerful leader is theatrical: the ability to present a dazzling and surprising public performance. He is dedicated to gaining ultimate power, unable to share it with anyone else. He only gains his power and success through manipulation. He uses everyone in his life as a means to an end. His astute and inventive way of thinking about society has made him successful. He is a cold and calculating Machiavellian leader..