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Comparing Alexander the great and Julius Caesar
Comparing Alexander the great and Julius Caesar
Comparison of Alexander the Great and Augustus Caesar
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Plutarch composed the famous biography known as Plutarch’s Lives. The first volume of this enormous compilation is named Plutarch’s Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans which is a number of biographies from both Greece and Rome. In his novel Plutarch summarized the significance of these lives while comparing similarities between Roman and Greek figures. Two people he examined were the lives of Macedonian king Alexander the Great as well as Dictator Gaius Julius Caesar and compared common themes that existed in both their lives. First, Plutarch analyzed the life of Alexander the Great. Alexander was born on the 6th of Hecatombaeon from father Philip II and Olympias. Alexander’s life started off with the privilege of coming from royalty. His …show more content…
father was the king of Spain as well as a descent from Hercules by Carnus. On the other hand his mother was the daughter of king Neoptolemus I who is a descendant of Aeacus by Neoptolemus. Even though Nepotism is an important factor when considering Alexander’s claim to power, it was not the only deciding factor. Alexander was a man who took his education seriously. At a very young age he indulged in his studies to assure he would be equipped to rule. He would charm many foreign leaders with his intelligence and maturity. While his father was gone he would converse with figureheads such as the king of Persia. This is one sign of his persistence and his drive to achieve great power and an even higher status. One thing about Alexander is that he hates nepotism. He hopes to achieve his father’s kingdom from winning rather than just inheriting it. Because of this reason he despised whenever his father would succeed he got upset because it diminished his ability to prove his courage and leadership through governing. Another sign of Alexander's greatness is when he claimed he can tame a wild horse. From careful observations he realized the horse was only afraid of his shadow and proceeded to tame the horse. Everyone was impressed including his father. From that point on his father knew that Alexander would become a conqueror because Macedonia could not contain his wits and intelligence. This concepts was more evident when Alexander won his first important victory at only 16 years old. His father granted him the title as Lieutenant and was not disappointed when his son won the battle of Chaeronea. Furtherlong in Alexander’s career he comes in contact the Darius III who is known as the last Persian king. Darius arguably Alexander’s greatest enemy. Alexander first battles with Darius in the Gates of Asia so he could gain access to the continent. Darius army fights Alexander’s while killing Alexander's horse under him. This is the first encounter Alexander experienced in almost being killed. Even though this was a tough battle Alexander ended up victorious therefore granting entry into Asia. Even though he won this battle ended up becoming a wakeup call for Alexander. He knew he needed to change his technique in battle if we wanted to remain in control. Because of his wit and constant improval of battle techniques Alexander defeated Darius ending the Persian empire leading him to be crowned king of Asia. Even though Darius was a great enemy of Alexander he still showed kindness toward his family. When Alexander captured Darius’ family he assured they were treated with the utmost respect and gentleness. When Darius wife died Alexander hosted her funeral. For these reasons when Darius was found fatally wounded he uttered his satisfaction on having such a worthy opponent. Towards the end of the life of Alexander the Great he is strucken but a terrible fever. This fever lasted many weeks and on the 28th day of the month Alexander passed away. Even though it seems as though the fever killed him, there are rumors suggesting that Alexander passed because he poisoned. After writing about the life of Alexander the Great, Plutarch began telling the story of the life of Caius Julius Caesar. Julius Caesar was created from parents Aurelia Cotta and Gaius Julius Caesar. Caesar even at a young age had many influential ties, one being Marius. Marius was rials with a master of Rome named Sylla. This relationship makes Sylla despise Caesar because of the threat Caesar posseses. Because of this Sylla kidnaps Caesar which only made Sylla look inferior because Caesar bribes his capturers to let him go. After Caesar flees Rome in order to escape persecution or even execution by Sylla. Many years later Caesar travels to Rhodes in order to receive an excellent education.
Caesar knew a proper education was necessary if he wanted to rule one day. He went to the school of Apollonius who happens to be the son of famous rhetorician, Molon. In this school they taught Caesar how to be an excellent public speaker which is the tool he needed in order to rule. Using his Wit and excellent orientation skills, Caesar was elected military tribune which he uses to further his career to a become a quaestor in Spain. After he worked as a quaestor he married Cornelia who delivers his first child. His rise for power does not stop there though. Caesar becomes praetor until his term finished. A little later in his career Caesar realizes he is ashamed of where he is. He reads a book about Alexander the Great and becomes upset for his lack of conquest in the world. It is inferred that this catalyzes his success in the military. After his first military success he appoints himself as the civil administrator in Spain. When Caesar returns he joins the consulship which projects him further into his ideal career goal. In this position Caesar has enough influence to create land reforms. In the text it states, “he proposed the plantation of colonies and division of lands, simply to please the commonalty.” This shows Caesars interest in the lives of the everyday people which was not a common ideology held in office at the time. For this reason a lot of other senators loathed the idea which cause even more tension between him and other members in
office. Caesar had many enemies but one enemy goes by the name of Pompey. Pompey originally got along with Caesar but Caesar knew if he wanted to overthrow the government he will have to defeat Pompey. Pompey eventually quits his position in Rome because he was not allowed to pursue his own agendas because he was constantly being fed false alarms and reports. He convinces other senators to quit as well because he believed Rome was turning into anarchy. Later in Caesar's career he travels to Spain in order to defeat Afranius, Vargo, and Pompey’s lieutenants as well as make himself the master of the armies and provinces they controlled. When he won the battles he travels back to Rome where he is finally crowned Dictator for 30 years. His first order of business was returning exiles as well as giving back the rights that Sylla look away. A few battles later Caesar travels to Egypt where to his liking found out Pompey has been killed. In Egypt is where Caesar grew an infatuation for a pharaoh named Cleopatra. There relationship was frowned upon especially because Caesar battled against Cleopatra's brother. During this battle the library of Alexandria becomes burned to the ground. Afterwards Caesar leaves Cleopatra to become queen of Egypt shortly after the birth of her son. Towards the end of Caesar’s career he begins to act arrogant towards the Senate. Of course the Senate did not appreciate these remarks and opposed his notion. Caesar threatened to kill anyone who would kill him. Ironically enough Caesar blamed his remarks on his illness even though it's more likely he realized he could not defeat the senate. Not to long afterwards Caesar's wife, Calpurnia, has a nightmare regarding Caesar's death. This dream brings fear into Caesar so he attempts to avoid the Senate to preserve his life. Unfortunately for Caesar, the day he arrived at the Senate’s meeting is the day he was assassinated. Casca starts of by first stabbing Caesar on the neck. Afterwards many joining in to kill Caesar. Brutas even stabbed Caesar in the groin which is the blow that ended Caesar. Plutarch mentions that Caesars mannerisms were uncertain during his assassination. Some believe that he was fighting all the way through while others believe he called for help. Regardless this was the end of the life of an infamous leader. Even though the lives occurred during different times in history they are still proven to be quite parallel. Both men are descendants from a royal family. Caesar descended from the patrician family of the Caesars which are descendants from Lulus and Aeneas. On the other hand Alexander was a descendants of Hercules. The fact that they both are descendants from famous Greek and Roman figure heads show the importance of family name during that time period. Another similarity is their love and fascination for education. Alexander received a lot of his education from some great philosophers from his time. One great philosopher is named Aristotle which was looked at as the epitome of knowledge and wisdom. On the contrary Caesar was determined to receive the best education possible. He studied Aristotle's annotation of the Iliad to familiarize himself with the art of war as well as studying psychology in order to understand the mind of his enemies and his followers. In addition to loving education, both Caesar and Alexander showed great potential from a young age. Like mentioned previously, Alexander tamed Bucephalus as well and showed his intelligence and wit towards Persian ambassadors. Caesar showed his potential by rebelling against Sulla and exhibiting great confidence while tackling on his pirate captors. It is extremely evident that the greatest similarity between these two rulers were the conquests they made. Plutarch mentions Alexander's great conquest outside the tiny borders of Macedonian. He mentions how Alexander's conquest reigned in over 3 continents. On the other hand he also mentions how Caesar conquered the region of Gaul. Many might say that Alexander was a greater ruler than Caesar since he conquered a lot more land, but Plutarch did a great job of stating Caesar’s obstacles. Plutarch states, “ and being told that the senate would not give Caesar a longer time in his government”(Plutarch, John Dryden, and Arthur Hugh Clough). This quote shows the Plutarch understood the different conditions each leader ruled on. He knew since Caesar had to answer to other political leaders he could not do everything he wished. He proceeds to explain that because that reason Caesar overcame greater obstacles which infers he was indeed a more equipped leader. Last but not least, Plutarch the commonalities between Alexander and Caesar's downfall. Both men were killed by men who were jealous and beneath them. Alexander died from a fever but many believe he was actually poisoned. Plutarch assures to mention that there is no actual evidence proving that he was poisoned which further shows that Plutarch is a trusted author. Caesar on the other hand was most definitely killed during a meeting with the Senate.Caesar was killed by inflations in his neck that eventually led him to bleed out on the senate floor. These two tragic downfalls shows the ends of two great eras. All in all Plutarch did a phenomenal job comparing the two different worlds of the Romans and Greeks. Plutarch not only formulated one of the most infamous biographies during his time but he illustrated a new way of thinking to his era. He showed just because people come from different eras or even different parts of the world, it does not mean they do not share similar lives, ideologies, or feelings because after all he understood there are a lot of parallels within mankind.
Plutarch's The Life of Crassus and Caesar. Plutarch presented history through biographical stories of the people that were important and influential during the time period he wished to address. However, after having read some of his work, one realizes that Plutarch inserts his own personal opinion and views of the people at hand into the factual documentation of their lives. For example, in The Life of Crassus, Plutarch expresses a general dislike and negative view of the man, but in The Life of Caesar he portrays the life through a lens of praise. It also seems that he uses his opinions of the people that he writes about to subtly extend moral lessons to the reader.
A Comparison of Plutarch's The Lives of the Ancient Grecians and Romans and Shakespeare's Julius Caesar
His character traits are listed in three main accounts by authors A.J. Koutsoukis, Erik Hildinger, who are both current impartial historical non-fiction writers and, Plutarch. Plutarch was a Greek historian, biographer and essayist, who is most famous for his work Parallel Lives, where he focuses on all of the contributing rulers of the Roman Republic. Plutarch is very even handed and focuses on the influence of character and moral lessons that can be learned from these emperors, good or bad.
He believed that not only does a man need to have authority over his people, but he also has to confidently be able to lead no matter what circumstances are thrown his way. Caesar was faced with bribery, being overwhelmed by power, and so many other things. Though the hardships were apparent and caused him to lose sight of himself, he concerned with the greatness of Rome. At the end of the day, to Suetonius, that was the bigger picture. The Roman Republic definitely experienced many trials and tribulations. The man who were put in charge of it, tried their best to succeed when it came to conducting things in such a manner that would benefit the citizens of Rome, but after each one of their reigns, it seemed as if once a new leader came into power, all of the hard worked that was established quickly plunged due to the inconsistency with the rules set in
For thousands of years people have been talking about the great powerful Caesar. He is one of the greatest known dictators known to people today mostly because of all of the things he was able to accomplish during his rein as emperor. After reading primary sources about Caesar, it has given me a better understanding of what other people thought of him during this time period. It’s safe to say that Caesar was obsessed with power and respect from other people that would explain his thirst for war and land, which is one of his greatest strengths and helped in making Rome a great empire.
Gaius Julius Caesar, born 100 B.C.E. in Rome to the impoverished patrician Julian Clan, knew controversy at an early age. Nephew to Populare Gaius Marius, he was earmarked by the Optimate dictator Sulla for prosciption after his refusal to divorce his Populare wife, Cinna. Fleeing Rome, and not returning until after Sulla’s resignation in 78 B.C.E, upon his return he gained a position as a pontificate, an important Roman priesthood. Slowly but surely throughout his lifetime he worked his way up the political ladder, eventually becoming Consul, and finally Dictator Perpeteus – Dictator for life. One of the most influential political and military leaders of all time, Caesar was also a highly intelligent man and an exceptional orator. However, acquiring this absolute power was no mean feat, and Caesar had well equipped himself through previous expeditions with all the resources necessary to gain power in Ancient Rome.
In the book, Plutarch lives he discusses Caesar’s life and his position as a Roman leader. Plutarch describes Caesar as a man with an ambition that knows no limit. According to Plutarch Caesar aspires to obtain total control and will do anything to achieve it, which in Plutarch’s point of view is a bad characteristic. Plutarch presents Caesar as a powerful Roman leader with the capability to use his spirit and ambition to transform civilian men into ambitious soldiers. Caesar’s will to conquer additional territory and lead Rome represents his desire to obtain power and a powerful empire. Plutarch frames Caesar’s ambition as destructive and complicated. Plutarch makes the reader believe that Caesar’s ambition is ultimately a negative aspect
Caesar was born into a traditional influential and respected family. It is this influence that he used to make his way to the top of the Roman leadership. His use in warfare and military conquests are legendary although he had at first concentrated in pursuing political actions. He won the first elections in his political career at the early forties. He was el...
Over the course of Julius Caesars life, he gained both political and social popularity due in fact to the multiple positions he had in Rome. In 69 BC Caesar was elected military tribune, after showing bravery when he was kidnapped by pirates while crossing the Aegean Sea. Being military tribune was the first step in having a political career at the time. Julius entered the course of advancement in the Roman political system as quaestor in 69 B.C. In the Roman Republic, a quaestor was a public official who supervised the financial affairs of the state and conducted audits. In 65 B.C., Julius Caesar was appointed to the position of Pontifex Maximus, this was much to people's disbelief because Caesar was so young. Pontifex Maximus gave Caesar the position of high priest in the College of Pontiffs, which was the most important position in the ancient Roman church. Caesar won against two powerful senators that had greater experience and power. Despite much uproar, Caesar was chosen to be...
“Caesar was a brilliant general, a clever engineer, and administrator of genius, and a leader who demanded and commanded loyalty. He also was a corrupt politician” (Dando-Collins 4). Caesar would go on to be a dictator and his gain in power would corrupt him. He often bypassed the Senate, taking their power away. With Caesar’s growing power the Senate feared that they would soon lose their political relevance.
Julius Caesar is a moral, ethical man. He is a selfless man who puts others before himself. When Artemidorus gets word of the conspirator’s plans, he writes a letter to Caesar to warn him of his impending fate and rushes to the Capitol to give him word. Upon telling Caesar the letter is concerning him, Caesar simply brushes it off and responds, “What touches oneself shall be served last”(III,I, 8). Caesar altruistically puts aside an urgent manner concerning him to accept the offer of becoming King of Rome, which is the reason he went to the Capitol in the first place, which shows he is a benevolent, thoughtful person. In
Plutarch: Lives of the Noble Greeks is filled with nine biographies chosen by Edmund Fuller. Edmund Fuller narrowed the biographies down by choosing both the most important figures
Ambition drives Caesar to become a strong leader of Rome. Caesar works hard and consequently is given power, but in the process makes many enemies
Gaius Julius Caesar was born in Rome in July 100 BC. Rome was a Republic at this time. He was a statesman, Roman general, Consul, and notable author of Latin prose. He played a significant role in the events that led to the collapse of the Roman Republic and rise of the Roman Empire. He was a leader in a nation where the people were not involved in the government decision-making process. Thus, he had majority of the power in the Republic and was able to form a huge army. He was able to triumph, conquer new lands with the army at his grasp and command. As Caesar acquired more power over the years, som...
Julius Caesar was a strong leader for the Romans who changed the course of the history of the Greco - Roman world decisively and irreversibly. With his courage and strength he created a strong empire. What happened during his early political career? How did he become such a strong dictator of the Roman Empire? What events led up to the making of the first triumvirate? How did he rise over the other two in the triumvirate and why did he choose to take over? What happened during his reign as dictator of Rome? What events led up to the assassination of Caesar? What happened after he was killed? Caesar was a major part of the Roman Empire because of his strength and his strong war strategies. Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman whose dictatorship was pivotal in Rome’s transition from republic to empire. When he was young Caesar lived through one of the most horrifying decades in the history of the city of Rome. The city was assaulted twice and captured by Roman armies, first in 87 BC by the leaders of the populares, his uncle Marius and Cinna. Cinna was killed the year that Caesar had married Cinna’s daughter Cornelia. The second attack upon the city was carried our by Marius’ enemy Sulla, leader of the optimates, in 82 BC on the latter’s return from the East. On each occasion the massacre of political opponents was followed by the confiscation of their property. The proscriptions of Sulla, which preceded the reactionary political legislation enacted during his dictatorship left a particularly bitter memory that long survived. Caesar left Rome for the province of Asia on the condition that he divorce his wife because Sulla would only allow him to leave on that condition. When he heard the news that Sulla had been killed he returned to Rome. He studied rhetoric under the distinguished teacher Molon. In the winter of 75-74 BC Caesar was captured by pirated and, while in their custody awaiting the arrival of the ransom money which they demanded, threatened them with crucifixion , a threat which he fulfilled immediately after his release. He then returned to Rome to engage in a normal political career, starting with the quaetorship which he served in 69-68 BC in the province of Further Spain. In the Roman political world of the sixties the dominance of the optimates was challenged by Pompey and Crassus. The optimates, led by Q...