The Art of Seduction (5 page)

as the incarnation of the Egyptian exotic. His life with her was a constant
Sirens became aware that a
game, as challenging as warfare, for the moment he felt secure with her she
ship was swiftly bearing
7

8
•
The Art of Seduction

down upon them, and

would suddenly turn cold or angry and he would have to find a way to re
broke into their liquid song.
gain her favor.

• "
Draw near," they sang,

The weeks went by. Caesar got rid of all Cleopatra's rivals and found

"illustrious Odysseus,

flower of Achaean chivalry,

excuses to stay in Egypt. At one point she led him on a lavish historical ex
and bring your ship to rest
pedition down the Nile. In a boat of unimaginable splendor—towering
so that you may hear our
fifty-four feet out of the water, including several terraced levels and a pil
voices. No seaman ever
sailed his black ship past
lared temple to the god Dionysus—Caesar became one of the few Romans
this spot without listening
to gaze on the pyramids. And while he stayed long in Egypt, away from
to the sweet tones that flow
his throne in Rome, all kinds of turmoil erupted throughout the Roman
from our lips . . ." • The
Empire.

lovely voices came to me

across the water, and my

When Caesar was murdered, in 44 B.C., he was succeeded by a triumvi
heart was filled with such a
rate of rulers including Mark Antony, a brave soldier who loved pleasure
longing to listen that with
and spectacle and fancied himself a kind of Roman Dionysus. A few years
nod and frown I signed to

my men to set me free.
later, while Antony was in Syria, Cleopatra invited him to come meet her

— H O M E R ,
THE ODYSSEY,
BOOK

in the Egyptian town of Tarsus. There—once she had made him wait for X I I , T R A N S L A T E D B Y E . V . R I E U

her—her appearance was as startling in its way as her first before Caesar. A magnificent gold barge with purple sails appeared on the river Cydnus. The oarsmen rowed to the accompaniment of ethereal music; all around the
The charm of
[
Cleopatra's
] boat were beautiful young girls dressed as nymphs and mythological figures.
presence was irresistible,

and there was an attraction
Cleopatra sat on deck, surrounded and fanned by cupids and posed as the
in her person and talk,
goddess Aphrodite, whose name the crowd chanted enthusiastically.
together with a peculiar

Like all of Cleopatra's victims, Antony felt mixed emotions. The exotic
force of character, which

pervaded her every word
pleasures she offered were hard to resist. But he also wanted to tame her—to
and action, and laid all
defeat this proud and illustrious woman would prove his greatness. And so
who associated with her
he stayed, and, like Caesar, fell slowly under her spell. She indulged him in
under its spell. It was a
all of his weaknesses—gambling, raucous parties, elaborate rituals, lavish
delight merely to hear the

sound of her voice, with
spectacles. To get him to come back to Rome, Octavius, another member of
which, like an instrument
the Roman triumvirate, offered him a wife: Octavius's own sister, Octavia,
of many strings, she could

one of the most beautiful women in Rome. Known for her virtue and

pass from one language to

another.

goodness, she could surely keep Antony away from the "Egyptian whore."

— P L U T A R C H ,
MAKERS OF

The ploy worked for a while, but Antony was unable to forget Cleopatra,
ROME,
TRANSLATED BY IAN

and after three years he went back to her. This time it was for good: he had SCOTT-KILVERT

in essence become Cleopatra's slave, granting her immense powers, adopting Egyptian dress and customs, and renouncing the ways
of
Rome.
The immediate attraction

of a song, a voice, or scent.
Only one image of Cleopatra survives—a barely visible profile on a coin—

The attraction of the
but we have numerous written descriptions. She had a long thin face and a
panther with his perfumed
somewhat pointed nose; her dominant features were her wonderfully large
scent . . . According to the

ancients, the panther is
eyes. Her seductive power, however, did not lie in her looks—indeed many
the only animal who emits
among the women of Alexandria were considered more beautiful than she.
a perfumed odor. It uses
What she did have above all other women was the ability to distract a man.
this scent to draw and

capture its victims. . . .
In reality, Cleopatra was physically unexceptional and had no political
But what is it that seduces
power, yet both Caesar and Antony, brave and clever men, saw none of
in a scent? . . . What is it
this. What they saw was a woman who constantly transformed herself be
in the song of the Sirens
fore their eyes, a one-woman spectacle. Her dress and makeup changed
that seduces us, or in the

beauty of a face, in the depths
from day to day, but always gave her a heightened, goddesslike appearance.
The Siren • 9

Her voice, which all writers talk of, was lilting and intoxicating. Her words
of an abyss . . . ?

could be banal enough, but were spoken so sweetly that listeners would
Seduction lies in the
annulment of signs and

find themselves remembering not what she said but how she said it.

their meaning, in pure

Cleopatra provided constant variety—tributes, mock battles, expedi-
appearance. The eyes that
tions, costumed orgies. Everything had a touch of drama and was accom-
seduce have no meaning,
plished with great energy. By the time your head lay on the pillow beside
they end in the gaze, as
the face with makeup

her, your mind was spinning with images and dreams. And just when you
ends in only pure
thought you had this fluid, larger-than-life woman, she would turn distant
appearance. . . . The scent
or angry, making it clear that everything was on her terms. You never pos-
of the panther is also a
meaningless message
—
and

sessed Cleopatra, you worshiped her. In this way a woman who had been
behind the message the
exiled and destined for an early death managed to turn it all around and
panther is invisible, as is
rule Egypt for close to twenty years.

the woman beneath her

makeup. The Sirens too

From Cleopatra we learn that it is not beauty that makes a Siren but
remained unseen. The
rather a theatrical streak that allows a woman to embody a man's fantasies.
enchantment lies in what
A man grows bored with a woman, no matter how beautiful; he yearns for
is hidden.
different pleasures, and for adventure. All a woman needs to turn this —JEAN BAUDRILLARD,
DE LA
around is to create the illusion that she offers such variety and adventure. A
SÉDUCTION

man is easily deceived by appearances; he has a weakness for the visual. Create the physical presence of a Siren (heightened sexual allure mixed with a regal and theatrical manner) and he is trapped. He cannot grow bored with you yet he cannot discard you. Keep up the distractions, and
We're dazzled by feminine

adornment, by the surface,

never let him see who you really are. He will follow you until he drowns.

\ All gold and jewels: so

little of what we observe \

Is the girl herself And

The Sex Siren

where (you may ask) amid

such plenty \ Can our

object of passion be found?

Norma Jean Mortensen, the future Marilyn Monroe, spent part of her
The eye's deceived \ By
childhood in Los Angeles orphanages. Her days were filled with

Love's smart camouflage.

chores and no play. At school, she kept to herself, smiled rarely, and — O V I D ,
CURES FOR LOVE,

dreamed a lot. One day when she was thirteen, as she was dressing for school, she noticed that the white blouse the orphanage provided for her was torn, so she had to borrow a sweater from a younger girl in the house. The sweater was several sizes too small. That day, suddenly, boys seemed to
He was herding his cattle
gather around her wherever she went (she was extremely well-developed
on Mount Gargarus, the
highest peak of Ida, when

for her age). She wrote in her diary, "They stared at my sweater as if it were
Hermes, accompanied by
a gold mine."

Hera, Athene, and

The revelation was simple but startling. Previously ignored and even
Aphrodite delivered the
golden apple and Zeus's

ridiculed by the other students, Norma Jean now sensed a way to gain at-
message: "Paris, since you
tention, maybe even power, for she was wildly ambitious. She started to
are as handsome as you are
smile more, wear makeup, dress differently. And soon she noticed some-
wise in affairs of the heart,
Zeus commands you to

thing equally startling: without her having to say or do anything, boys fell
judge which of these
passionately in love with her. "My admirers all said the same thing in differ-
goddesses is the fairest. "
•

ent ways," she wrote. "It was my fault, their wanting to kiss me and hug

"So be it," sighed Paris.

me. Some said it was the way I looked at them—with eyes full of passion.

"But first I beg the losers

not to be vexed with me. I

Others said it was my voice that lured them on. Still others said I gave off
am only a human being,
vibrations that floored them."

liable to make the stupidest

10
•
The Art of Seduction

mistakes."
•
The

A few years later Marilyn was trying to make it in the film business.
goddesses all agreed to

Producers would tell her the same thing: she was attractive enough in per
abide by his decision.
•

son, but her face wasn't pretty enough for the movies. She was getting

"Will it be enough to

judge them as they are?"

work as an extra, and when she was on-screen—even if only for a few sec
Paris asked Hermes, "or
onds—the men in the audience would go wild, and the theaters would

should they he naked?"
•

erupt in catcalls. But nobody saw any star quality in this. One day in 1949,

"The rules of the contest

are for you to decide,"

only twenty-three at the time and her career at a standstill, Monroe met
Hermes answered with a

someone at a diner who told her that a producer casting a new Groucho
discreet smile.
•
"In that

Marx movie,
Love Happy,
was looking for an actress for the part of a blond
case, will they kindly

bombshell who could walk by Groucho in a way that would, in his words,
disrobe?" • Hermes told

the goddesses to do so, and

"arouse my elderly libido and cause smoke to issue from my ears." Talking
politely turned his back.
•

her way into an audition, she improvised this walk. "It's Mae West, Theda
Aphrodite was soon ready,

Bara, and Bo Peep all rolled into one," said Groucho after watching her
but Athene insisted that

she should remove the

saunter by. "We shoot the scene tomorrow morning." And so Marilyn cre
famous magic girdle, which
ated her infamous walk, a walk that was hardly natural but offered a strange
gave her an unfair
mix of innocence and sex.

advantage by making

everyone fall in love

Over the next few years, Marilyn taught herself through trial and er
withthe wearer. "Very
ror how to heighten the effect she had on men. Her voice had always been
well" said Aphrodite

attractive—it was the voice of a little girl. But on film it had limitations un
spitefully.
"
I will, on
til someone finally taught her to lower it, giving it the deep, breathy tones
condition that you remove

your helmet
—
you look

that became her seductive trademark, a mix of the little girl and the vixen.
hideous without it. "
• Before appearing on set, or even at a party, Marilyn would spend hours be
"Now, if you please, 1
fore the mirror. Most people assumed this was vanity—she was in love with
must judge you one at

a time" announced

her image. The truth was that image took hours to create. Marilyn spent
Paris. . . . Come here,

years studying and practicing the art of makeup. The voice, the walk, the
Divine Hera! Will you

face and look were all constructions, an act. At the height of her fame, she
other two goddesses be good

enough to leave us for a

would get a thrill by going into bars in New York City without her makeup
while?"
•
"Examine me

or glamorous clothes and passing unnoticed.

conscientiously," said Hera,

Success finally came, but with it came something deeply annoying to
turning slowly around, and

displaying her magnificent

her: the studios would only cast her as the blond bombshell. She wanted se
figure, "and remember that
rious roles, but no one took her seriously for those parts, no matter how
if you judge me the fairest,

hard she downplayed the siren qualities she had built up. One day, while she
1 will make you lord of all
was rehearsing a scene from
The Cherry Orchard,
her acting instructor, Mi
Asia, and the richest man
alive. "
• "
I am not to be

chael Chekhov, asked her, "Were you thinking of sex while we played the
bribed my Lady . . . Very

scene?" When she said no, he continued, "All through our playing of the
well, thank you. Now I

scene I kept receiving sex vibrations from you. As if you were a woman in
have seen all that I need to

see. Come, Divine

the grip of passion. . . . I understand your problem with your studio now,
Athene!"
•
"Here I am,"

Marilyn. You are a woman who gives off sex vibrations—no matter what
said Athene, striding

you are doing or thinking. The whole world has already responded to those
purposefully forward.

"Listen, Paris, if you have

vibrations. They come off the movie screens when you are on them."
enough common sense to

award me the prize, I will

Marilyn Monroe loved the effect her body could have on the male libido.
make you victorious in

all your battles, as well

She tuned her physical presence like an instrument, making herself reek of
as the handsomest and

sex and gaining a glamorous, larger-than-life appearance. Other women
wisest man in the world."

knew just as many tricks for heightening their sexual appeal, but what sepa• "
I am a humble
rated Marilyn from them was an unconscious element. Her background

The Siren • 11

had deprived her of something critical: affection. Her deepest need was to
herdsman
, not
a soldier,"
feel loved and desired, which made her seem constantly vulnerable, like a
said Paris. . . . "But I
promise to consider fairly

little girl craving protection. She emanated this need for love before the
your claim to the apple.
camera; it was effortless, coming from somewhere real and deep inside. A
Now you are at liberty to
look or gesture that she did not intend to arouse desire would do so doubly
put on your clothes and
powerfully just because it was unintended—its innocence was precisely
helmet again. Is Aphrodite
ready?"
•
Aphrodite sidled

what excited a man.

up to him, and Paris

The Sex Siren has a more urgent and immediate effect than the Spec-
blushed because she came
tacular Siren does. The incarnation of sex and desire, she does not bother
so close that they were
almost touching.
•
"Look

to appeal to extraneous senses, or to create a theatrical buildup. Her time
carefully, please, pass
never seems to be taken up by work or chores; she gives the impression that
nothing over. . . . By the
she lives for pleasure and is always available. What separates the Sex Siren
way, as soon as I saw you,
I said to myself: 'Upon my

from the courtesan or whore is her touch of innocence and vulnerability.
word, there goes the
The mix is perversely satisfying: it gives the male the critical illusion that he
handsomest young man in
is a protector, the father figure, although it is actually the Sex Siren who
Phrygia! Why does he
waste himself here in the

controls the dynamic.

wilderness herding stupid

A woman doesn't have to be born with the attributes of a Marilyn
cattle?' Well, why do you,
Monroe to fill the role of the Sex Siren. Most of the physical elements are
Paris? Why not move into
a construction; the key is the air of schoolgirl innocence. While one part of
a city and lead a civilized
life? What have you to lose

you seems to scream sex, the other part is coy and naive, as if you were in-
by marrying someone like
capable of understanding the effect you are having. Your walk, your voice,
Helen of Sparta, who is as
your manner are delightfully ambiguous—you are both the experienced,
beautiful as I am, and no
less passionate? . . . I

desiring woman and the innocent gamine.

suggest now that you tour

Greece with my son Eros

Your next encounter will be with the Sirens, who bewitch

as your guide. Once you

every man that approaches them. . .
.
For with the music
reach Sparta, he and I will

see that Helen falls head

of their song the Sirens cast their spell upon him, as they

over heels in love with

sit there in a meadow piled high with the moldering skele-

you."
•
"Would you swear

tons of men, whose withered skin still hangs upon their

to that?" Paris ashed

bones.

excitedly.
•
Aphrodite

uttered a solemn oath, and

—CIRCE TO ODYSSEUS,
THE ODYSSEY,
BOOK XII

Paris, without a second

thought, awarded her the

golden apple.

Keys to the Character

— R O B E R T GRAVES,
THE GREEK

MYTHS,
VOLUME I

The Siren is the most ancient seductress of them all. Her prototype is the goddess Aphrodite—it is her nature to have a mythic quality about her—but do not imagine she is a thing of the past, or of legend and history: she represents a powerful male fantasy of a highly sexual, supremely confident, alluring female offering endless pleasure and a bit of danger. In today's world this fantasy can only appeal the more strongly to the male psyche, for now more than ever he lives in a world that circumscribes his aggressive instincts by making everything safe and secure, a world that offers less chance for adventure and risk than ever before. In the past, a man had some outlets for these drives—warfare, the high seas, political intrigue. In the sexual realm, courtesans and mistresses were practically a social institu-
12
•
The Art of Seduction
To whom aw I compare

tion, and offered him the variety and the chase that he craved. Without any
the lovely girl, so blessed by

outlets, his drives turn inward and gnaw at him, becoming all the more
fortune, if not to the
volatile for being repressed. Sometimes a powerful man will do the most ir
Sirens, who with their
lodestone draw the ships

rational things, have an affair when it is least called for, just for a thrill, the
towards them? Thus, I

danger of it all. The irrational can prove immensely seductive, even more
imagine, did Isolde attract

so for men, who must always seem so reasonable.

many thoughts and hearts

that deemed themselves

If it is seductive power you are after, the Siren is the most potent of all.
safe from love's

She operates on a man's most basic emotions, and if she plays her role prop
disquietude. And indeed
erly, she can transform a normally strong and responsible male into a child
these two
—
anchorless
ish slave. The Siren operates well on the rigid masculine type—the soldier
ships and stray thoughts
—

provide a good comparison.

or hero—just as Cleopatra overwhelmed Mark Antony and Marilyn Mon
They are both so seldom
roe Joe DiMaggio. But never imagine that these are the only types the
on a straight course, lie so

Siren can affect. Julius Caesar was a writer and thinker, who had transferred
often in unsure havens,

pitching and tossing and

his intellectual abilities onto the battlefield and into the political arena; the
heaving to and fro. Just so,

playwright Arthur Miller fell as deeply under Monroe's spell as DiMaggio.
in the same way, do

The intellectual is often the one most susceptible to the Siren call of pure
aimless desire and random