"The Prince" begins by outlining its central theme - the concept of "state". Here, "state" is used in a broad sense to encompass all forms of supreme political power, be it a republic or a princely rule. This interpretation of the word "state" is a product of the Renaissance era and has been a topic of extensive debate, with Machiavelli's works often cited as key references.

The main focus of "The Prince" is on princedoms. Although Machiavelli has explored republics in other works (like the Discourses on Livy), he also discusses republics in "The Prince", treating them as a variant of princedoms. He further distinguishes between new princedoms and hereditary ones, stating that the latter are easier to rule. As long as a hereditary prince doesn't have extreme vices that make him hated, his subjects are likely to be naturally well-disposed towards him.

This approach to discussing new rulers who need to establish themselves against traditional norms is a departure from the usual advice given to hereditary princes. Some believe that Machiavelli's perspective may have been shaped by Tacitus and his personal experiences.

Machiavelli's classification of political regimes is simpler than the traditional one found in Aristotle's Politics, which categorizes regimes based on whether they are ruled by a single monarch, an oligarchy, or the people (in a democracy). He also disregards the classical distinctions between good and corrupt forms of rule, such as between a monarchy and a tyranny.

Interestingly, Xenophon made a similar distinction between types of rulers in his "Education of Cyrus". He noted that Cyrus the Great, his ideal prince, was unlike any other king, whether they inherited their thrones or seized power themselves.

In "The Prince", Machiavelli further breaks down the concept of new states into two categories - "mixed" cases and purely new states.