The siren.

 The Siren of Wonder: Cleopatra

Ptolemy XIV banished his co-monarch and sister, Cleopatra, in 48 B.C. He closed Egypt's borders to her, ruling alone. But when Julius Caesar arrived in Alexandria in the same year—determined to seal Egypt's allegiance to Rome—Cleopatra acted.

During a palace meeting one evening, a guard rose and announced that a Greek merchant had arrived bearing a generous present for Caesar. They were intrigued, and Caesar invited him in. The merchant had a gigantic rolled-up carpet with him, which he unrolled to reveal Cleopatra, half-concealed and startlingly alive in front of Caesar and the generals—like a goddess stepping out of legend. Just 21 years old, her dramatic arrival dazzled them all. Her bold deed, disguising herself on board a ship to slip by defenses, revealed her fearless spirit—and no one was more taken aback than Caesar.

Her voice was described by ancient authorities to be captivating and her presence irresistible even to the most jaded skeptics. Caesar was immediately enthralled by her, and they became lovers that evening. Cleopatra soon became far more than an distraction. She enchanted him with visions of rivalling Alexander's grandeur, donning Isis disguise in elaborate rituals, and weaving cultlike glamour around him. Their affair was a chess game, as unpredictable as politics—whenever he thought that he had tamed her, she would withdraw, leaving him scrambling for her permission.

Cleopatra's scheme paid off. Caesar eliminated her rivals, and she promised to escort him through Egypt's wonders on a decadent Nile cruise—sky-piercing decks, temple-façaded buildings, even glimpses of the pyramids. When Rome erupted into anarchy, Caesar stood by her side. When he was murdered in 44 B.C., Egypt fell under Mark Antony's control.

Antony, headquartered in Syria, was summoned to Tarsus by Cleopatra. She arrived in imperial glory: a golden barge with purple sails, music processions, youthful women playing mythic roles, and she playing Aphrodite. Antony—conqueror, gamester—couldn't resist. He surrendered his will to her pageant, to flirting with chance, sybaritic feasts, Oriental spectacle. He married noblewoman Octavia of Rome, but he returned to Cleopatra. Totally charmed, he picked up her mannerisms, lost Roman restraint, and appeared fascinated with every whim of hers.

We have only one faded image of Cleopatra on a coin, but text paints her with words as having a narrow face, pointed nose, and dramatic large eyes. She was not classically pretty—most people in Alexandria were prettier than she—but her ultimate weapon was transformation. She turned look, voice, dress, and mood daily, creating an aura around the mythic feminine. Men did not own Cleopatra in the end—they worshipped her.

Her secret: drama, not beauty. Men tire of beauty itself—they desire drama, adventure, novelty. The Siren illusion lives on change. She offers seduction visually, emotionally, psychologically. A man under her control is both hooked and adrift—drawn to, but never quite safe.

The Sex Siren: Marilyn Monroe

Marilyn Monroe, who was born Norma Jean, spent her early life in L.A. orphanages, alone and ridiculed. When she was thirteen, she inadvertently wore a sweater one size too small—and boys suddenly noticed as if it were gold. Everything changed that day. She discovered that she could control people just by the way she looked and moved. She began smiling, dressing up, wearing makeup—and boys began to fall in love with her, often without a single word being said.

While Marilyn chased Hollywood dreams, she found that, on the screen, her presence attracted audiences even though backroom folks didn't consider her an ideal beauty. In 1949, she landed a role after auditioning by flirting with the interest of Groucho Marx. He described her stride as "Mae West, Theda Bara, and Bo Peep all in one"—a combination of coquettish and innocent. She landed the role.

She constructed over time each aspect of her persona: the breathy sex voice, the teased hair, the makeup, the gelled walk. The public saw glamour, but it was deliberate, honed in front of mirrors. The real test was when she could walk into a full bar without makeup and no one would recognize her.

But the responsibility of her image was hers to bear. The studios employed her only as the "dumb blonde," rejecting her desire to do dramatic work. Her instructor, Michael Chekhov, noted what the public already recognized: even offstage, even in rehearsals, Marilyn "gave off sex vibrations." It was irresistible, a potent combination of vulnerability and come-on resulting from abandonment in childhood. That hunger—unspoken, instinctive—made her magnetic to the extent that even she didn't quite understand it.

That's the essence of the Sex Siren: no overproduction, no myth—just raw sensuality wrapped in vulnerability and innocence. She's always on, always available, but never forward or aggressive. Men feel needed—as guardians, as protectors—while she plays behind-the-scenes with the energy.

Marilyn didn’t need to be born a diva to capture this effect—all it took was emotional truth and a crafted presence. Her childlike vulnerability fused with overt sensuality so perfectly that fans couldn’t resist.

Siren Secrets

Cleopatra and Marilyn are two aspects of the Siren. Cleopatra dazzled with theatrics, makeover, and power-play. Marilyn enticed with vulnerability, sensuality, and honesty. Both show that real charm is not about looks—it's about creating an experience: drama, jeopardy, fantasy, surprise.

Want to make that power work? Be varied, challenge assumptions, raise emotional stakes, and be unpredictable. Project yourself as a myth—kingly, enchanting, inaccessible. Give him glimpses of delight, but never fully reveal to him who you truly are. Get him to pursue, fantasize, and worship—and he'll be hooked forever.