Alexander The Great: A True Hero

Alexander the Great was a hero because he showed amazing leadership, had regret for those he fought during battle, and appreciated the things and people around him.

An important fact to remember about Alexander the Great was his tactical intelligence. He always led his men to victory, never without fail. He even showed respect towards those around him. With all of his effort he “tried his best to set an example for others around him. After he had defeated the king of Persia Darius, he had gained his wealth.” (“A Hero’s Hero” 6). Alexander inspired to be like the Greek hero Achilles, who was a strong and loyal leader, much like what Alexander set out to be.

Just as equally important, Alexander felt great deals of regret towards those in which he conquered. Coming across the tomb of Cyrus, an amazing war hero, “he (Alexander) was much distressed by what he found and immediately ordered repairs to be made.” (Ansari 31). Alexander tried his hardest to repay his debts for those he brought harm to.

But the greatest significance to his heroship was his respect. Alexander honored those who he conquered. Just like Cyrus’s tomb, Alexander did his best to redeem himself for his ruthless actions. After he had

defeated the king of Persia Darius, he had gained his wealth. He treated the family of Darius with respect. Alexander had the wife of Darius give orders to his own mother that all women were shown respect no matter their status (“A Hero’s Hero 6). As well as doing that, Alexander showed his respect by honoring the Persian empire. Alexander knew that “the best way to maintain control of the Persians was to act like one, Alexander began to wear the striped tunic, girdle and diadem of Persian royal dress—to the dismay of cultural purists back in Macedonia.” (Barksdale 8).

Some people would say that Alexander the Great wasn’t as great as he was made out to be by historians.

Alexander “was widely despised by many of the subject Greeks, whose attitude might best be summed up by the comment attributed to one Athenian.” (“Alexander the Great” 7) Nevertheless, for fun Alexander and his troops would burn down cities filled with innocent people. He was a very ruthless man that jumped into battle with only the plain that they win. He would push his troops into doing things that result in pain/death. However, Alexander the Great was no different than any other commander. He had to kill, and it was in his best efforts to succeed during battle. He soon did become very regretful for his actions on burning cities and killing innocent

people.

Some people would say that Alexander the Great wasn’t as great as he was made out to be by historians. Alexander “was widely despised by many of the subject Greeks, whose attitude might best be summed up by the comment attributed to one Athenian.” (“Alexander the Great” 7) Nevertheless, for fun Alexander and his troops would burn down cities filled with innocent people. He was a very ruthless man that jumped into battle with only the plain that they win. He would push his troops into doing things that result in pain/death. However, Alexander the Great was no different than any other commander. He had to kill, and it was in his best efforts to succeed during battle. He soon did become very regretful for his actions on burning cities and killing innocent people.

In short, Alexander the Great was a man who showed heroic characteristics towards most all people. He showed gratitude to those in which he conquered. Alexander may have caused harm to some, but the time spent asking for forgiveness is greater. There are goals we all must reach, no matter how easy or hard.