court·i·ern.
1. An attendant at a royal court.
2. One who seeks favor, especially by insincere flattery or obsequious behavior. --thefreedictionary.com
Becoming the perfect courtier requires only three general rules.
First, is to please your master, so that when it is you he favors some of his power will rub off on to you. The best way to please the master, according to the 24th law, is to make the master look more talented than you. This is perfectly exhibited by the architect, Mansart, who would purposely make mistakes in his blueprints to give King Louis XIV the chance of looking exceptional as he figures out the solution to Mansart’s “mistakes.” Another, my personal fave, is the story about the two dogs. Both dogs start out as guard dogs, but in the end, the weaker dog ends up being the master’s playdog. When the guard dog asks his ex fellow guard dog, “how did you, so small and weak, get taken into favor, while I jump out of my skin to no purpose?” the other dog replies “I walk upon my hind legs” meaning that he did not merely stick to his basic duties, but managed to charm the master by entertaining him.
Second, to manipulate the people around you in the way that is most beneficiary to you, like what the landscape artist, J.M.W Turner did. His works has this unique fluorescence so that when the works of other artist are put next to his, they pale in comparison. So in one occasion, when his colleague, Sir Thomas Lawrence, made a fuss about why his work was put next to Turner’s, Turner darkened his painting so that it was as dull as Lawrence’s (but he only used lampblack, a kind of natural pigment from burned animal fat, which he intended to wash off after the exhibit). He downplayed himself because he didn’t want to fan the flames of envy among his colleagues thus making them his allies instead of bitter rivals.
And third, to look as good as possible doing the mentioned two and as you display your talents at the same time. One example is the story of the painter, Fra Filippo Lippi, who was one day caught by Moors and sold into slavery, but has saved himself by getting the attention of his master by sketching a full-length likeness of him which impressed his master so much that he gave Filippo his freedom.
Having said these, couldn’t it be said that it is only these attributes which the entirety of the book discusses, but only in greater detail as it breaks it down to the rest of the laws? Doesn’t it seem that the very embodiment of all of the 48 laws of powers is the perfect courtier?
-- Kamille Mercado Hi18 sec: N
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10 comments:
people who are social climbers would relate to this law very well, one because they're so used to "sucking up" to people higher than them that it almost feels like its second nature to them [or probably it already is?] anyway, i agree with jamie that we all do this, at some point of our lives we need to "suck up" to someone just to get ahead, yes, it sounds terribly bad but its true. we're all guilty of this, we might not be aware of it but we do suck up to people who are higher to us.
Nastashja Melevo
II BSLM
HI18O
My answer is yes as well. Being a courtier would please a superior, as it would be in line with Law 1: Never outshine your master. Making your master as "master" and yourself as lower would bring you to a higher place. It is just like using the power of others to bring you power.
-Jedd Emille Chua
Hi 18 O
first of all, would rather be the master rather then being a courtier. In my perspective a good courier should know his/her place, i disagree with the thinking making yourself lower would bring you to a higher place, as a courier i will not think of my self any less, i am a person, the master is superior, but we are both in essence the same. Doing a good job as a courier wont get you far, ur still a person whether the master likes u or not
Luigi Ramirez Hi18-O
I agree with Luigi when he said the master may be superior but we're still the same. You don't really have to purposely minimize or tone down what you can do just because it is able to reach or encompass the superiority level of someone of higher rank. It also doesn't necessarily mean you have to suck up to gain power or respect. I think you can earn it by showing what you can really do or make of yourself.
-Bianca Michaela Bes, Hi 18-O
As someone who deeply believes in man being the captain of his own life, I agree with what Bes said. I think it'd be more beneficial to just not care about what pleases other people and do things that are in accordance with what you desire. To me, a courtier is subject to the likes of his master and is, thus, never free.
But pleasing other people does have its advantages. By playing the perfect courtier, we're pleasing (and secretly overpowering)those that are above us. Playing the perfect courtier, for example, can get fresh graduates promotions, weak nations allies (and thus protection), and so on. In relation to the other laws, it also helps to work on the hearts and minds of other people, or to not step on the big man's shoes.
In the end, I think that as long as pleasing other people pleases you, playing the perfect courtier will be the perfect tool for power.
Marcy Pilar
Hi18-N
Contrary to some comments, I think being the perfect courtier may mean making your master feel as if he's important and more superior, but that does not necessarily mean you lowering yourself. Being a perfect courtier may give you a lot of advantages, but you will never reach the top if you allow yourself to remain subordinate to someone else.
Eric Andres
HI 18 Section N
I believe this law will give you power but not independence. You will always be answerable to someone,your master. You play the perfect courtier to gain the favor of your master in turn you gain power and protection. From then, you can exercise whatever power you have. But you still need to constantly please and serve your master because the moment he disowns you, you are good for nothing. Playing the perfect courtier will get you somewhere but I believe it this is not the best tactic if you aim on going to the top.
Dexter Tanengsy, Hi18-N
i would like to further defend the law. a lot have said that the courtier cannot achieve independence since they are subordinate to a master, but i think that maybe we are taking the law too literally. it did say "play the perfect courtier" not "BE the perfect courtier" which simply means that you must learn how to manipulate your subordinates and even your master using the techniques of a perfect courtier if you want to get to the top. to BE the perfect courtier you must stop at the manipulation of your master but to PLAY the perfect courtier, you use the methods of the courtier to manipulate your master only until you become the master.
That's right, Kamille. I agree with your defense of the law. I want to say that, in essence, this law teaches us to play up our talents and use whatever charms we have before we are able to gain the position of master in our own fields. Using this method gives us an edge over our opponents when the time to choose the next master comes. I see it as a means to ensure that people know that we are eligible for the position. Eventually, it enables us to reach the top.
First of all, very nice comments.
Playing the perfect courtier, just like my law of posing as a friend. Well, pleasing someone may gain favor like knowledge or fortune. It's like deception as its finest. This one uses up others to gain advantage. It doesn't teach you independence like Dexter said though. But overall, nice law to gain power. All you need is to practice to be a perfect courtier.
Don Faylon
Hi18N
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