"The Prince" by Niccolo Machiavelli is it a how-to guide to gaining political power or something else?

Question

one of the greatest debates surrounding this book is whether or not machiavelli wrote it ironically. Did he seriously intend this to be a how-to guide to gaining political power? Or did he write it as a satirical commentary on political power and corruption?

Answer 1

It isn't satire

I'd base this opinion on the dedication.  Machiavelli wrote this book while in exile, with the hope that it would gain him enough favor to go home.

Answer 2

In the time machiavelli write the Prince the government/king was out of order. He wrote it to tell people how the government should be. The ideas in the book were his opinions, and they were good ones. I don't believe that he wrote it ironically. For if he did we'd all be idiots for following some of his ideas.