Humans have long been shaped by grand, permanent myths — Greek myths, Louis XIV, Julius Caesar, Napoleon Bonaparte, Cleopatra — that retain a childlike hold on the imagination regardless of era. Robert Greene describes deliberately exploiting this in his own writing: he tells stories through historical/mythic figures rather than mundane characters (choosing Cleopatra, Caesar, Napoleon, Louis XIV over, say, an architect drafting plans), so the reader projects themselves into a grander role than their actual life affords. He credits this technique — "I'm creating mythic associations for the reader that create tremendous amount of power" — as a major driver of 48 Laws of Power's popular impact, distinct from the accuracy or novelty of its content.
This is a specific authorial application of the broader claim in Fantasy as the Currency of Power that people crave fantasy more than fact, and it pairs with Storytelling Mechanics (Structure, Open Loops, Presence) (structure, open loops, presence) as a technique for making narrative land — mythic framing gives the reader something aspirational to project into, on top of a well-built story shape.
"I'm creating mythic associations for the reader that create tremendous amount of power and I believe that is a lot of the effect 48 Laws of Power has had"
Play to People's Fantasies (Robert Greene) — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWcsgLQh-7c