A Golden Crown to Gain: The Machiavellianism of Kipling’s 'The Man Who Would Be King'

Abstract:     
This paper discusses Rudyard Kipling's famous story 'The Man Who Would Be King' in terms of the leitmotif of Machiavellian political philosophy that is to be discerned in the unfolding of the story. Kipling introduces us to the twin founders of the new order in Kafiristan in the same way that Machiavelli dedicates his 'Discourses' to two young nobles. He then proceeds to describe how they acquired their new kingdom and then how they lost it. On closer examination it becomes apparent that the initial success of the two English adventurers in the Hindu Kush was attributable to their following Machiavellian principles while their ultimate demise was rooted in their failure to to adhere to them once they had secured their new state and all the benefits which accompany princely rule over a subject population.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 12

Keywords: Kipling, Machiavelli, Kingship, Empire, Prudence, Religion, Virtue, Progress, Women

JEL Classification: B30, B31, Z10, Z12

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