In Moby Dick, Ahab, the captain of the Pequod, is manipulative and he uses his crew to get revenge on the whale that stole his leg. Ahab belittles his crew and acts as a kingly figure to them, but speaks to them in a way that enamors them. In Moby Dick, Herman Melville depicts Ahab as a Machiavellian power figure because of the way Ahab abused hatred and love in the novel. Ahab wants to be both feared and loved by his crew. A Machiavellian prince by definition is both feared and loved by the people he rules; “Still, a prince should make himself feared in such a way that if he does not gain love, he at any rate avoids hatred; for fear and the absence of hatred may well go together” (Machiavelli, 120). Ahab uses Machiavellian ideas of love and fear to ensure his position of power on the boat. Melville is interested in Machiavellian concepts of fear and love and he illustrates these Machiavellian ideas through Ahab in the novel. A Machiavellian prince aims to be both feared and loved by the people he rules. Ahab gains the love of his people by playing the role of a good demagogue. He says what the crew want to hear and gets them riled up and by doing so, gains their love and support. When Tashtego, a crew member, asks Ahab about Moby Dick, Ahab replies with more questions to get the crew excited about killing Moby Dick; ““Captain Ahab,” said Tashtego, “that white whale must be the same that some call Moby Dick.” “Moby Dick?” shouted Ahab. “Do ye know the white whale then, Tash?” “Does he fan-tail a little curious, sir, before he goes down?” said the Gay-Header deliberately. “And has he a curious spout, too,” said Daggoo, “very bushy, even for a parmacetty, and mighty quick, Captain Ahab?”” (Melville, chapter 36). Ahab is gaining the love and trust of his crewmates by making friendly conversation and engaging them in what they want to hear. As a Machiavellian prince, Ahab gains love from his crew by acti