8 Greatest Modern-Day Machiavellian Characters

One could be forgiven for assuming Mr Tom Ripley was an agreeable individual. Young, beautiful and thoroughly talented, Mr Ripley's outwardly appearance façades the fundamental characteristics of amorality and lack of emotional empathy that are essential to the execution of machiavellian exploits; perfectly demonstrated through his willingness to befriend, kill and assume the identity of the wealthy Dickie Greenleaf.

Through a series of lies, manipulations and a penchant for befriending affluent company, Tom Ripley elevates through the socioeconomic classes to the pinnacle of wealth and luxury. In Patricia Highsmiths 'Ripliad', Tom demonstrates the possibility to transfer the principles of machiavellianism to various spheres of life. In the case of Tom, he specifically engenders the accumulation of wealth, status and leisure. His exploits are essentially an exercise of vanity - similar to the traditional qualities of egotism and narcissism present in machiavels.

Yet, his lack of moral empathy, an ability to commit atrocities notwithstanding the moral repercussions, truly makes Tom Ripley a dangerous machiavel. This is illustrated through a series of murders, followed by an inherent inability to experience guilt, further evidenced by his inability to recall his exact number of victims. 

Moral navigation represents a inhibition to the achievement of one's desires and, as Tom illustrates, disregarding moral considerations leaves open the possibility to achieve power and wealth at any cost.