The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene Law Number 24: Play the Perfect Courtier
The perfect courtier thrives in a world where everything revolves around power and political
dexterity.
He has mastered the art of indirection; he flatters, yields to superiors, and asserts
power over others in the most oblique and graceful manner.
Learn and apply the laws of courtier-ship and there will be no limit to how far you
can rise in the court.
In the past the court garnered around the ruler, and had many functions: Besides keeping
the ruler amused, it was a way to solidify the hierarchy of royalty, nobility, and the
upper classes, and to keep the nobility both subordinate and close to the ruler, so that
he could keep an eye on them.
The court serves power in many ways, but most of all it glorifies the ruler, providing him
with a microcosmic world that must struggle to please him.
Alexander the Great, conqueror of the Mediterranean basin and the Middle East through to India
was mentored & tutored by the great Aristotle.
He complained that on his long campaigns he could not discuss philosophical matters with
anyone worthy of such a conversation.
Aristotle suggested Alexander best take Callisthenes, a former pupil of Aristotle and a promising
philosopher with him on his journeys.
But Callisthenes believed in pure philosophy, free from censorship – he would speak his
mind instead of tailoring his words carefully as Aristotle had taught him.
One day Callisthenes dared offend Alexander one too many times and was put to death.
Being honest all the time will make more enemies than you can count.
Criticism is to be given with extreme caution, best avoided or given indirectly as in the
next example.
During the Han Dynasty 2’000 years ago Chinese scholars compiled a series of writings called
the 21 Histories, an official biography of each dynasty.
In each history the scholars would write down “Unusual Events” such as earthquakes and
floods, that could be historically verified, but among the listings one would find bizarre
manifestations of two-headed sheep, geese flying backward, stars suddenly appearing
in different parts of the sky.
The emperor that the world revolved around was not easy to council.
Many servants would find themselves fall out of favor, lose their positions and lives.
When you criticize someone of great power, in his anger he sees the one criticizing,
not the criticism itself.
For that matter, the Chinese scholars came up with a way to hide themselves of the emperor’s
eyes and advice him safely.
Inserting sightings of strange phenomena into the court chronicles was the only way to warn
him.
The emperor would read of moons out of orbit and realize he was being cautioned.
He was unbalancing the universe.
Jean-Baptiste Isabey had become the unofficial painter of the Napoleonic court.
He was to capture the historic events taking place after Napoleons defeat and imprisonment
in an epic painting.
Talleyrand, main negotiator of the French and the Duke of Wellington, the main negotiator
of the English both approached him with the same request; to be the center of attention
and to be in the very center of the painting.
He created a painting that honored and satisfied both sides.
On one side the Duke enters the room and all eyes are turned toward him, making him the
center of attention.
In the very center of the painting, meanwhile, sits Talleyrand.
You will stumble upon difficult situations where it will seem you can only satisfy one
of your authorities.
You gain favorability from one and disdain from the other.
Like Jean-Baptiste be on the lookout for a win-win-win solution.
One afternoon in ancient China, Chao ruler of Han got so drunk, that he fell asleep in
the garden.
The crownkeeper whose sole task was to look after the rulers crown as his name suggests,
saw the ruler lay on the ground and put his own coat over him as it was getting cold.
When he awoke, the coatkeeper was punished for neglecting his duties and the crownkeeper
was beheaded for overstepping his boundaries.
Go the extra-mile, overdeliver, but never do too much.
Save your energy for time outside the court.
Fra Filippo Lippi, the Italian Renaissance painter, sailing for amusement in a small
boat, was captured by pirates who sold him and his friends into slavery.
Finding himself in a cell with a white wall and access to charcoal, still in chains, he
drew a great portrait of his owner who soon heard of this and free’d Filippo upon discovering
his talent, that seemed like a miracle, a gift from god.
Use your skills and talents to be discovered and get out of imprisonment and slavery.
There’s most likely something you can do greater than others, use it to flatter your
masters and buy their mercy and support.
Alfonso I of Aragon once had a servant who told him about a dream he supposedly had.
In the dream the king had gifted him weapons, horses and clothes.
Alfonso found it humorous to make the dream a reality, claiming a godlike power for himself.
When the same servant approached him again, having yet another dream of this kind, the
king was insulted.
He smiled and said “don’t believe in dreams from now on; they lie.”
Never ask for too much and know when to stop, also never underestimate the intelligence
of your masters.
I’m honestly surprised this story didn’t end with the servant being sentenced to death,
as it was so often the case in history.
If you think you aren’t getting enough; join the queue with the other millions of
people and instead of complaining, start using your free time to build your own source of
income, but how the things are running now; you won’t get much for free in the traditional
way of employment, it’s already hard to get what you should be getting.
So again, asking for favors from your boss, don’t go too far.
Here's 16 Successful Courtier Plays 1.
They please but are not pleasing too much.
2.
Obeying but somehow distinguishing himself from the other courtiers.
3.
Never distinguishing himself so far as to make the ruler insecure.
4.
Have mastered the science of manipulating people.
5.
They make the king feel more kingly; 6.
They make every-one else fear their power.
7.
They are magicians of appearance, knowing that most things at court are judged by how
they seem.
8.
They are gracious and polite.
9.
Their aggression is veiled and indirect.
10.
Masters of the word, they never say more than necessary.
11.
They get the most out of a compliment or hidden insult.
12.
They are magnets of pleasure— People want to be around them because they know how to
please.
13.
They neither fawn nor humiliate themselves.
14.
They are wizards in the accumulation of influence 15.
They become the king's favorites, enjoying the benefits of that position.
16.
They often end up more powerful than the ruler.
The royal court may have more or less disappeared, or at least lost its power, but courts and
courtiers still exist because power still exists.
The laws that govern court politics are as timeless as the laws of power.
There is much to be learned, then, from great courtiers past and present.
Play the perfect courtier, the greatest chapter of the book in my humble opinion.
In September I'm going to make a podcast on how to play the courtier in the modern-day
world, at your office job, how to deal with your colleagues, superiors etc.
If you haven't already made the connection, let me explain.
Not a lot has changed since the beginning of history.
As Robert Greene said "the exact same things are going on today, it's just less bloody."
Think of your boss as the King, your superiors as nobility, your colleagues as courtiers
or servants.
We all are servants in a way if we're employed.
The manipulation & power games that is going on in the office is something you're not taught
in school.
So, I congratulate you, you awesome badass, for picking up the book & watching these videos.
You know better & you arm yourself with powerful knowledge.
I'll leave you with these final words: A man who knows the court is master of his gestures,
of his eyes and of his face; he is profound, impenetrable; he dissimulates bad offices,
smiles at his enemies, controls his irritation, disguises his passions, belies his heart,
speaks and acts against his feelings.
Jean de la Bruyere.
Thank's for watching.