The 48 Laws Of Power

384 LAW41¢

Interpretation

MarieMancini

played

theseducer’s

game

to

perfection.

First,

shetooka

step

back,

to

study

her

prey.

Seductionoftenfailsto

getpast

thefirst

step

becauseitistoo

aggressive;

thefirstmovemust

always

bearetreat.

By

studying

the

king

from

a

distanceMariesaw

what

distinguished

him

from

others»-—his

high

ideals,

romantic

nature,

andsnobbishdisdainfor

petty

politics.

Marie’snext

step

wastomakeamirrorforthesehidden

yearnings

onLouis’s

part,letting

him

glimpse

whathehimselfcouldbe——-a

godlike

king!

Thismirrorhadseveralfunctions:

Satisfying

Louis’s

egobygiving

him

adoubletolook

at,

italsofocusedonhimso

exclusively

asto

give

himthe

feeling

thatMarieexistedforhimalone.Surrounded

by

a

pack

ofschem~

ing

courtierswho

only

hadtheirownself—interestat

heart,

hecouldnotfail

tobetouched

by

thisdevotionalfocus.

Finally

Marie-’smirrorset

up

an

idealforhimtolive

up

to:the

noble

knight

of

themedievalcourt.Toasoul

bothromanticand

ambitious,

nothing

couldbemore

intoxicating

thanto

havesomeonehold

up

anidealizedreflectionofhim.IneffectitwasMarie

Manciniwhocreatedthe

image

oftheSun

King——indeed

Louislaterad»

mittedthe

enormous

part

shehad

played

in

fashioning

hisradiant

self»

image.

Thisisthe

power

oftheSeducefsMirror:

Bydoubling

thetastesand

idealsofthe

target,

itshows

your

attentiontohisorher

psychology,

anat-

tentionmore

charming

than

anyaggressivepursuit.

Findoutwhatsetsthe

other

personapart,

thenhold

up

themirrorthatwillreflect

it

and

bring

it

outofthem.Feedtheirfantasiesof

power

and

greatness

by

reflecting

their

ideals,

and

they

willsuccumb.

ObservanceIV

In

1538,

withthedeathofhis

mother,Helena,

the

eight-year-old

future

czarIvanIV

(or

Ivanthe

Terrible)

ofRussiabecamean

orphan.

Forthe

nextfive

years

hewatchedasthe

princely

class,

the

boyars,

terrorizedthe

country.

Nowand

then,

tomockthe

young

Ivan,

they

wouldmakehim

wearacrownand

scepter

and

place

himonthethrone.VVhenthelittle

boy's

feet

dangled

overthe

edge

of

the

chair,

they

would

laugh

andlifthim

off

it,

handing

himfrommantomaninthe

air,

making

himfeelhis

help

lessness

compared

tothem.

WhenIvanwas

thirteen,

he

boldly

murderedthe

boyar

leaderandas-

cended

to

thethrone.

For

the

nextfew

decadeshe

struggled

to

subdue

the

boyars’power,

but

they

continuedto

defy

him.

By

1575 his

efforts

to

trans-

formRussiaanddefeatitsenemieshadexhaustedhim.

Meanwhile,

his

subjects

were

complaining

bitterly

abouthisendless

wars,

hissecret

police,

the

unvanquished

and

oppressiveboyars.

Hisownministers

began

to

ques-

tion

hismoves.

Finally

hehadhad

enough.

In 1564 hehad

temporarily

abandonedthe

throne,

forcing

his

subjects

tocallhimbackto

power.

Now

hetookthe

strategy

a

step

further,

andabdicated.

Totakehis

place

Ivanelevateda

general

of

his,

Simeon

Bekbulatovich,