The 48 Laws of Power Characters

Talleyrand was a French politician whose crafty diplomatic style allowed him to survive through several regime changes. Greene often compares Talleyrand positively versus Napoleon, who held immense power for a short period of time, but who was ultimately undone by his own arrogance.

Otto von Bismarck was a Prussian statesman who helped bring about the unification of Germany. Greene cites him as an example of someone who adopted different roles and positions during his lifetime to adapt to the circumstances.

Queen Elizabeth I was one of England’s longest-reigning monarchs. She never married, and in general, Greene believes that her life demonstrated the benefits of refusing to make alliances that could compromise one’s ability to rule.

Alexander the Great was a Macedonian general who became one of the most successful military leaders in history, managing to overcome the shadow of his also-powerful father, King Phillip II.

Joseph Weil, aka the Yellow Kid, was a con artist famous for elaborate schemes that often involved misdirecting the scam’s mark to focus on something else.

Julius Caesar was an ancient Roman politician famous both for consolidating Rome’s power as a dictator but also by being betrayed in a conspiracy by those he trusted.

Chuko Liang was the early Chinese general who pulled off tricks so audacious that they could make a whole enemy army retreat.

Thomas Edison was an American inventor and businessman who was famous for taking credit for the discoveries of others, notably Nikola Tesla.

Nikola Tesla was a Serbian-American inventor whose work with electricity was ground-breaking but eventually overshadowed by figures with a greater gift for self-promotion, like Thomas Edison.

Michelangelo was the Italian Renaissance artist who found creative ways to fulfill his artistic vision while still pleasing his patrons and benefactors.

Victor Lustig was a con artist who is perhaps most famous for selling the Eiffel Tower in a scam.

Cesare Borgia was an Italian cardinal known for his ruthlessly efficient tactics for holding on to power, which helped inspire Machiavelli to write The Prince.

Fouché was a French politician who managed to survive a very difficult political situation during the French Revolution, throughout which many of his contemporaries were executed.

Mao Tse-tung was a Chinese politician who used brutal tactics to eliminate enemies, ultimately overcoming rivals to install the Communist Party in power.

Henry VIII was the English king who broke away from the Catholic Church to found the Anglican Church, changing the course of religion in England.

Francisco Pizzaro was a Spanish explorer who used brutal methods to extract gold from the Incan empire in the New World. He was equally brutal to any Spanish rivals to his power.

King Louis XV was the great-grandson and successor to King Louis XIV. Although he ruled for a while, he was careless and failed to follow in his illustrious predecessor’s footsteps, creating a political situation that led to the French Revolution.