In the year 324 BC, Alexander, on the way to Babylon, came to his traditional summer retreat of Ecbatana. There, he held a massive festival in honor of Dionysus in which it is believed up to 3,000 Greek performers were brought to provide entertainment. Night after night, lavish drinking parties ensued in which Alexander and Hephaestion, (his supposed alter ego) undoubtedly participated in. It was during this time of extravagant celebration that Hephaestion became ill and contracted a high fever. Hephaestion's physician Glaucias put him on a strict diet and monitored his health. At first, this appeared to be working until on the seventh day of Hephaestion's illness, Glaucias went to the theater and Hephaestion decided to ignore the physician's advice. Hephaestion proceeded to eat a whole chicken and drank a half-gallon of chilled wine at breakfast. He died shortly thereafter. When Alexander was told of Hephaestion's illness, he rushed to be with him but Hephaestion had already passed away.
Alexander was now devastated by this loss. Arrian states that "for two days after Hephaestion's death, Alexander tasted no food and took no care of his body..." (7.14.8). It is widely believed that Alexander had Glaucias executed, blaming him for Hephaestion's sudden demise. Alexander was also believed to have razed the temple of Asclepius, the god of healing. Alexander's grief at Hephaestion's death had no limits (Plutarch, 72.3). Plutarch writes: "Moreover, making war a solace for his grief, he went forth to hunt and track down men, as it were, and overwhelmed the nation of the Cossaeans, slaughtering them all from the youth upwards. This was called an offering to the shade of Hephaestion (72.4).
An enormous sum of at least...
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Greeks are known for many things. We know them for their poetry, for their philosophy, their politics--and also we have come to know them for their childish, petty, lustful, little gods. These gods, vengeful in the extreme, have been a source of much literature. However, not all the gods have the same publicity agent, and have suffered in obscurity for much too long. One of these gods, one of the Twelve Olympians, has been obscure in the least. He is different in most ways from the other gods, and I am here to illuminate him further to you. His name? Hephaistos.
Oedipus accidentally killed his father and married his mother. Because of that act, Oedipus ended up cursing his family and died a horrible death. After his death, his sons inherited his kingdom and in a power struggle ended up killing each other. One of the sons, Polynices attacked the city to try and claim power from his brother. But since both of the brothers died and the city was not taken Polynices was labeled as a traitor whereas the other brother who died defending the city was celebrated as a hero. Creon decreed at the beginning of the play Antigone that no one was to bury the body of traitorous Polynices. Antigone felt that it was here responsibility to bury the body because he was still a member of her family. This led to a huge argument with Creon who felt he shouldn’t be crossed because he was the leader of the state. Eventually both Creon and Antigone are destroyed by the gods (and by each other) through their own actions.
Problems Associated with The Reign of Alexander II (1855-81) The Russian Government faced many problems during the reign of Alexander II, who had tried to solve many of the problems in society. There is a difference of opinion as to how effective Alexander II was in dealing with Russia’s problems. Russia was on the verge of a mass serf rebellion when Alexander II came into power. The serfs thought that landowners had too much control over their lives and that they were basically slaves.
Having a bad day can seem daunting, perhaps causing feelings like nothing can go right regardless of what you do. This seems to be the case in “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.” No matter what Alexander does, the day just doesn’t get better. From breakfast all the way to bed time, Alexander is miserable. Many things that Alexander experiences are avoidable through a better outlook on life and proper parenting.
The Iliad and the Fate Of Patroclus Throughout The Iliad Of Homer, the constant theme of death is inherently. apparent. The snares are not. Each main character, either by a spear or merely a scratch from an arrow, was wounded or killed during the progression of the story. For Zeus' son, a king.
Have you heard of a man named Alexander the Great, the famous historical figure? There are many amazing stories about him explaining the courageous things he had accomplished. However, if you learn more about him and his accomplishments you will soon realized the real person Alexander was. Alexander the Great, ruler of his empire was in fact not great as his title states. The definition of great is a person who shows concern for others, has leadership and shows intelligence. Alexander didn’t show any of these characteristics therefore he doesn’t deserve the title of “great”.
Alexander the Great (July 356BC – June 323BC) was King of the ancient Greek Kingdom of Macedon. By the age of thirty he had created one of the largest empires of the ancient world. He remained undefeated in battle and is considered one of history’s most successful Military commanders. Historians’ have offered theories which could explain Alexander’s motivation to conquer so much of the known world. Some suggest that Alexander was an idealistic visionary who sought to unite the world, whereas others argued that he was a fascist whose hunger for power drove him. The Ancient Greeks were driven by love of honour (philotimaea) and their desire for greatness. They were competitive, always striving to better one another.
Another instance of the conferral of funeral rites can be found with the death of the brave Greek combatant Patroclos. In Book XVII when Patroclos lies dead, Menelaus, the Greek king, chivalrously defends the body, "like a cow standing over her calf." When Euphorbus Panthoidês, a Trojan soldier, attempts to desecrate the body of Patroclos, Menelaus "with a prayer to Father Zeus lunge[s]" and kills Panthoidês. However, Menelaus wisely retreats when confronted by a massive Trojan Army. The Achian army commences to retrieve the body of Patroclos when Hippothoös, a Trojan soldier, starts to drag the corpse away, but the powerful Aias kills him.
Alexander the Great died about a month short of his thirty-third birthday. The exact cause of death remains a mystery. He was a strong man with an athletic build and said to be an Olympic quality runner. Many believe that he was a victim of poisoning. After he drank the tampered cup of wine, he began to gasp and expire soon after. The most probable cause of death is that he contracted malaria while in Babylon or suffered and finally succumbed to the complications of the flu virus. Due to the enormous decline of his popularity prior to his death, many were either relieved or unaffected by it. They no longer had to practice the common religion of which Alexander was god nor did they have to be forced to partake in intermarriages. Despite this downfall he still had many soldiers who respected, loved, and worshiped him. They remained outside his tent until his death.
Few historical figures stand out in the same degree as that of Alexander the Great. He was a warrior by 16, a commander at age 18, and was crowned King of Macedon by the time he was 20 years old. He did things in his lifetime that others could only dream about. Alexander single-handedly changed the nature of the ancient world in just over a decade. There were many attributes that made Alexander “Great.” He was a brilliant strategist and an inspired leader; he led by example and was a conqueror at heart. In looking at his early childhood, accession to the throne, conquests, marriage, and death one can see why Alexander the Great is revered in historical contexts as one of the greatest figures of all time.
The notion of honor and justice is prevalent throughout all types of literature. In Greek culture, honor is essential for creating a solid foundation within a society and family. Honor will follow you until the day you perish, and beyond. The honor for men in Greece is spiritual in that loved ones show respect to the deceased by giving them a proper burial. Nevertheless, when a man acts upon betrayal of the city, that man looses the privilege to die in such honor. This is evident in the life of Antigone when her two brothers, Polyneices and Eteocles, both die at each other’s hands at war when deciding the ruler of Thebes. Polyneices cannot have a proper burial, because the new king, Antigone’s uncle, Creon created a law that decrees that anyone who tries to give Polyneices a proper burial will have a dire consequence: death. In Sophocles’ Antigone, the quest that Antigone endures to stay true to her pure intentions of honoring Polyneices by giving him a proper burial is in juxtaposition with the fact that her defiance towards Creon is not only to do with Polyneices, but also to show appeasement to the gods.
The Iliad is full to the brim of epithets describing the many major and minor characters. These short descriptive titles contain themes that range from a person’s strengths to his family history. Many of the characters who receive these are only mentioned once, when they die. It lends a sense of sadness to these passings, which would have been insignificant if nothing had been known about them. In Book 4 this can be seen in the killing of a Trojan, the son of Anthemonian Simoeisios, by Aias. The scene of his death is described quite vividly as incredibly grotesque, but not until after Homer describes his family and how “he could not again render again the care of his dear parents, for he was shortlived.” Even...
In order to “earn his inheritance” (p. 343), Alexander plans to take over Asia. At this point, his friends are exiled and are not to be found. It is said that Alexandros would be the next in line if King Philip dies in battle. Arrabios denies Alexander’s worth when Alexandros sticks up for Alexander. Defending his mother, Alexander plans to kill Attalos in the battle of Asia. Alexander says, “She’s a wronged woman, it’s natural she should want revenge; though of course that’s what has set the King on getting her out of the kingdom before he leaves, and its done me harm enough” (p. 348). King Philip forces Kleopatra, Alexander’s sister, to marry their uncle, King Alexandros of Epirus. Olympias and King Philip divorce. During the wedding, King Philip is pronounced “Twelve Olympians, and divine Philip” (p. 357). Cries from the crowd say, “May the King live!” (p. 360). King Philip decides to enter the stadium without bodyguards. Philip says, “My people are guard enough. Let all these foreigners see it” (p. 361). The guard, Pausanias stabs King Philip in the stadium. Renault says, “He had been eight years in the Guard, and for five of them commanded it” (page 363). Pausanias then is killed by the other guardsmen. Finally, Alexander ascends the throne and Olympias is a proud
Homer’s The Iliad: Book XX features a battle between the Trojans and Achaians, shortly after Patroklus’ death (Lattimore Book XVI), where the gods must intervene in order to restrain Achilleus’ destructive nature that becomes amplified due to the grief and wrath as a result of the loss of his cousin/lover. The divine foresaw an early fall of Troy caused by the intensified destructive nature of Achilleus, therefore they interfered in the battle to protect a bigger ideal of fate, a fate of a nation, by manipulating smaller ideals of fate, the fates of people’s lives(Lattimore 405). At the beginning of the battle, after the gods descended from Olympus, they decide to sit and just watch how their mortal teams will fend for themselves until Apollo takes form as Lykoan and coerce Aeneias to challenge Achilleus, thus establishing the first act of divine intervention (Lattimore 406-407). When Achilleus is inches away from killing Aeneias, Poseidon takes sympathy upon him and whisks him off to safety (Lattimore 407-411). The last interference occurs during the confrontation between Hektor and Achilleus, where Achilleus is about to murder him and Apollo saves Hektor (Lattimore 416). Hektor’s rescue in this battle is an important event in the Iliad because Achilleus’ and Hektor’s fates are interrelated, further meaning that if Hektor die...