Machiavelli has long been considered a person who transcended time and space: the first political scientist, the first philosopher of modern times, and so on. According to the same criteria, he could well have won the title of the first modern playwright, becoming the first who, through personal example, proved the difference between theory and practice and who was the first to fool more than one generation of interpreters. In search of the “true” Machiavelli, many authors tried to understand his personality and his works, and as a result they became completely confused, passing him off as an imperialist, an atheist, a neo-pagan or a convinced Christian, a freedom-loving republican, a mentor of despots, a military genius art, armchair strategist, realist, idealist and secret founder of modern political science. He was indeed a controversial personality, but he became famous primarily for “The Prince,” an essay written with a specific purpose: to win the favor of the Medici, the rulers of Florence. After all, it is necessary to remember that Machiavelli was a true Florentine: he loved to argue, provoke, stand out, resorting to sparkling humor. What about the contradictions? Draw your own conclusions!