In the first part of The Art of Seduction, Robert Greene describes 9 seducer archetypes.
He says that these archetypes are timeless, and they are:
Let’s delve deeper into each one of them:
Contents
1. The Siren
The siren is a highly sexual woman, offering the promise of endless pleasure mixed with a bit of danger.
- Historical Example: Cleopatra
- Modern Example: Marilyn Monroe
- Symbol: Water
The Secret of the Siren
Robert Greene says sirens are the most powerful seductresses because they operate on a man’s most basic drives, and these work on everyone.
Dangers of Sirens
Intrasexual competition is the main risk.
Meaning that other women can get jealous and plot against the siren.
Example:
Robert Greene talks about Marilyn Monroe’s orgasmic faces. Here is an example for you:
How To
Be sexual and attractive.
Read more on siren seduction here:
2. The Rake
The Rake is a man who insatiably adores women.
He is a great female fantasy because, deep down, women crave to be desired.
Unfortunately for some women, the rake is a lover at heart. He desires every woman, so he may be unfaithful. But that only adds to his appeal.
- Historical Example: Giacomo Casanova
- Modern Example: Don Juan
- Symbol: Fire
The Secret of the Rake
The Rake is a guilty pleasure offering what society does not allow women: an affair of pure pleasure.
Plus, the excitement of rebelling, danger, and doing ‘something bad’.
How To
Love women, love romance, love seduction.
Then, let that passion fuel your action.
Learn more here:
- The psychology of womanizers
- Lovers, providers, & friends: the 3 male sexual roles
- Lovers vs providers: picking your best strategy
3. The Charmer
Charmers are highly skilled social players.
Instead of thinking about themselves, they remove themselves from the equation.
Their spotlight and focus is on their target, and with their high empathy they learn what makes you tick, what you want, and… Your weaknesses.
- Historical Example: Benjamin Disraeli
- Modern Example: Oprah Winfrey
- Symbol: The Mirror
The Secret of the Charmer
With their full focus on the target, charmers make you feel understood, and targets bond deeply with them.
The Dangers of Charm
Greene says that some people may view Charmers as slippery and deceitful. They can come across as less masculine, and struggle to gain respect and status.
So Charmers must know when to stop being ‘nice’ and adaptable, and act with more dominance.
Learn how here:
- How to be more dominant, without being aggressive
How To
Learn advanced social skills, be smooth, charm everyone, not just your targets.
That will help you gain social status and diffuse admiration, making you an object of desire.
Learn more:
- How to be charming (with video examples)
- How to bond and connect
4. The Charismatic
Charisma is an exciting presence.
Inner qualities like confidence, unwavering belief, or a sense of purpose drive charisma. Others are drawn to charisma because they lack these qualities
- Historical Example: Joan of Arc and Rasputin
- Modern Example: Elvis Presley
- Symbol: The Lamp
The Secret of the Charismatic
Charismatics are highly influential leaders whom people flock to.
They thrive the most during turmoils, when fearful people look up to their conviction and belief.
Dangers of Charisma
Charisma can be as volatile as the emotions it creates, says Robert Greene.
TPM Note: Only extreme charisma is volatile
Greene refers to extreme, quasi-possessed personalities like Savonarola. More balanced and calibrated charisma isn’t nearly as volatile.
Learn more:
- Law of optimum balance, so you don’t overdo charisma
- How to calibrate
How To
Learn more:
5. The Ideal Lover
Ideal lovers learn their targets’ broken dreams and fantasies and make them feel like they may now live them in real life.
Do you long for adventures, romance, and losing yourself in the moment? The Ideal Lover will provide it for you.
- Historical Example: Madame de Pompadour
- Modern Example: Christian Grey from Fifty Shades of Grey
- Symbol: The Portrait Painter
The Secret of the Ideal Lover
The ideal lover is so powerful because most people live a life of quiet desperation. They gave up their dreams and never enacted their fantasies.
Dangers of Ideal Lovers
You create a fantasy that involves the idealization of your own character. If your faults get in the way, you will destroy that fantasy.
The Ideal Lover is rare in the modern world because it takes much effort and time.
How To
Lucio: I made her open up and share her full self. Then, I made love to her. And she fell in love
You must acquire empathy and theory of mind to learn about your target.
What they say is part of it, but even more important is what they don’t say. And what they may not even know themselves.
Discover the fantasies that they don’t even realize they have. And position yourself as the conduit to live them in real life.
If they’re ambitious, appeal to lofty ideals together with carnal desires. And sexual affairs will become sense-engulfing love affairs.
6. The Dandy
Dandies focus on appearances, offering androgynous allure (example: Rolfo Valentino).
Dandies live for pleasure and surround themselves with beauty, while also ‘beautifying’ themselves.
He is also insolent like the Rake. But while the Rake’s insolence is in his pursuit of women, the Dandy’s insolence is towards society and conventions. He’s not rebelling against the monogamy ideal, he’s rebelling against all conventions.
- Historical Example: Marlene Dietrich
- Modern Example: Prince, Russel Brand
- Symbol: The Orchid
The Secret of the Dandy
Men and women often don’t understand each other. That creates mistrust and prevents a deeper connection.
The Dandy is reassuring, feels comfortable for having similar traits, and bonds deeper with their targets.
Dangers of Dandies
Greene says that Dandies may be accused of lacking masculinity for men, or lacking femininity for women.
And their habit of breaking conventions can irk and annoy people.
How To
The key is ambiguity and straddling the line.
You are 70% heterosexual, but some people sometimes may not be 100% sure.
And embody both masculine and feminine energy.
Lead resolutely in dating, but when it comes to bonding, lean more feminine to make your target feel bonded and understood.
Learn more:
- 📽️ Russell Brand dandy style: a video analysis
7. The Natural
Naturals are spontaneous and open.
They bring us back to childhood by embodying child-like qualities such as spontaneity and sincerity.
- Historical Example: Charlie Chaplin
- Modern Example: Zendaya
- Symbol: The Lamb
The Secret of the Natural
Childhood is the golden paradise we consciously or unconsciously try to recreate.
Dangers of Naturals
Total childishness can be annoying, so the best Naturals combine adult traits like experience and wisdom with a childlike manner.
How To
Rediscover your ‘thirst for life’.
Be excited to see and try new things, discovering new foods and tastes, and experiencing all life has to offer.
The key is to truly rediscover your inner ‘sense of wonder’. The more absorbed you seem in your own joy-filled world, the more seductive you become.
But when the conversation turns serious or there are goals to be achieved, move back to rationality.
It’s the mixture of qualities that is most attractive.
- How women use Natural seduction: a ‘regression’ seduction example
8. The Coquette
Coquettes may alternate nice girl behavior with little devil upheaval
Coquettes are narcissistic, self-absorbed, and high-power.
They can come on strong, act in love and all over you… Only to later turn cold and distant.
- Historical Example: Empress Joséphine Bonaparte
- Modern Example: Andy Warhol
- Symbol: The Shadow
The Secret of the Coquette
The Coquettes’ power is emotional enthrallment.
Tease and temptation are the initial lures, but the coquette’s superpower is emotional withdrawal after they have gained emotional leverage over you.
The withdrawal also makes targets insecure, and the more insecure you feel, the more you cling to them.
Dangers of Coquettes
Volatile emotions can turn destructive, and love can easily be replaced by hate.
Their game of presence/absence can also lean too strongly on the absence, and the targets may break free for good.
Finally, too many negatives compared to positive moments can ultimately lead to stronger targets cutting contact for good.
How To
Be an object of desire, give yourself initially, but never fully. Alternate presence with withdrawal, romance with drama, and target-admiration with self-admiration.
- How coquettes seduce a man for a real-life example
- Emotional manipulation
9. The Star
The Star is a larger-than-life figure who captivates with their glamour, mystery, and presence.
They are ethereal, distant, and envelop themselves in mystery.
- Historical Example: John F. Kennedy
- Modern Example: Beyoncé
- Symbol: The Idol
The Secret of the Star
Daily life is mundane and boring.
The star represents the escape into fantasies and dreams.
Dangers of Stars
People may tire of your illusion, and stardom is always transient. After your 15 minutes of fame, people may move to the next up-and-coming star.
Once people move on, it it will be difficult to regain your spot in the sun. And there may be psychological blowbacks as well. Unless you develop an antifragile ego, you may feel depressed as a ‘has-been’.
How To
Greene in The Art of Seduction says you must transform yourself into a glittering object.
We agree, but we believe that the key is popularity and fame. Weak stars play the star, without being well-known. That’s entitlement.
Powerful stars are at least social circle-level popular. Ideally, famous.
And fame is one of the best ‘seduction hacks’ possible:
- Sexual market value hacks: shortcuts to seduce and win at dating
Are Greene’s Seducer Types Correct?
Greene’s seducer types are interesting, and we may argue that some of them point to effective archetypes.
However, it’s important to notice that it’s not an empirically validated, exhaustive, or experience-based list.
Some valid criticisms that can be leveled include:
- Foundations of attractiveness are missing including, at the higher level, high mate value that underpins any effective seducer
- Social seduction mixed with romantic seduction: The two overlap, but aren’t the same. The ‘charismatic leader’ for example isn’t always a seducer
- Homosexual and heterosexual mixed, and heterosexual men may be set up for failure following homosexual tactics
- Some archetypes feel more arbitrary and less effective. The Ideal Lover for example hardly qualifies as a distinct, self-contained archetype and may have more limited scope.
- Some archetypes are over-psychologized. The ‘rake’ is simply a player type, and the ‘star’ leverages fame/status
And of course, and this is valid for any archetype: they’re simplifications of reality. Advanced operators may integrate several styles, or change them to suit different partners and situations.
That said, Greene’s analysis remains brilliant in many parts, offering plenty of valuable lessons.
To integrate it with a more science-backed approach to male-only seducers, see:
