Alexander The Great: The Success Of Alexander The Great

During the course of history, there have been many tales of conquest. Men such as Napoleon often stick out in the minds of many, and who could forget Hannibal crossing the Alps with elephants? But where did such men draw their inspiration? It can be said that there has been no other conqueror such as Alexander the Great, a military genius that holds the respect of many despite his short life. He dedicated his life to conquering the world, leaving in his wake a legacy that many have come to know. Born in the year 356 BC, to the king of Macedonia, Phillip II, Alexander immediately showed promise as the future heir to the throne. It was said that when he was only twelve, Alexander tamed a stallion that no other man could, Bucephalus (Alexander of Macedon). He would later ride this horse into every battle until the stallion’s death. Plutarch wrote that his father wept tears of joy and said that Alexander needed a better kingdom than Macedonia. It would seem that this love would dissipate as his father would later banish Alexander for insulting a man of high ranking forcing Alexander and his mother to flee (Alexander of Macedon).

Tutored by Aristotle, Alexander became increasingly adept at all subjects including rhetoric and literature. Alexander was seen as intelligent, mature and capable.

But he was not well liked, he had a violent temper and a tendency to be cruel to those who opposed him. He was obeyed more out of fear than any sort of real affection for the man. But, he was human and did have redeeming qualities. He was compassionate to women and children, when Darius deserted his family in fear of Alexander, he treated them with the respect they deserved as member of the royal family. And later, when King Darius was murdered, Alexander found his murderer and put him to death. It would seem that Alexander saw his world as black and white, right and wrong. There did not seem to be a gray area with