Was Alexander Really That Great?

                                      1) Does Alexander deserve to be called “Great”?     

      
     Alexander may have done many great things, but that didn't mean his personality was necessarily great. He had a great empire, which was fairly large. He cared a lot about expanding his empire and becoming more and more wealthy. He did tame a wild stallion when he was 12, but that doesn't show what kind of personality he really had. (21 Moulton)  He was tutored by Aristotle, which shows that he was educated. (21 Moulton) He didn't seem like he used that education very well, when it came to talking to people. He was always stressed about what he was going to do next, and he also had a drinking problem. He became angry very easily, and sometimes he did kill his friends that he had known for a long time.  One of the men he killed was, Cleitus, a commander of his army. He was selfish. He could have pursued Darius and made it easier for his men, but instead decided to go to Egypt to explore riches and expand his empire. In the process, he lost a lot of soldiers and it was also a waste of time. This didn't bother him because he didn't even think about the others and how this would affect them. This was his goal, to expand his empire.  

     Alexander was not one that you should argue with, he would always somehow get his way, and the outcome would not be the best. When he was in Persia, he was inspired by the culture and language, and decided to completely transform himself as if he was from there. He even married a Persian woman, and wanted some of his soldiers to marry Persian women as well. Some say, that he wanted to become a sultan. He even had a crown that made him like one. It seemed as though he had left Macedonia with Antipater, and wasn't coming back. This shows that he wasn't loyal to his country and didn't want anything to do with where he came from. He just left Macedonia with nothing. When Macedonia was attacked, Alexander just sent Antipater money. He didn't even try to come back. He didn't seem like he cared about his country, and he was not a very loyal king.

  2) What can one learn about the values of society based on their views of greatness?

     According to Alexander, greatness would be how much money you have and how much land you own. Society usually decides if one is great, when they have worked hard to achieve a goal, have a good personality, and when you care and listen to others. An example of someone great would be Mother Teresa, because she helped others and didn't just care about herself. Being selfish and only caring about wealth is not considered great in our society. Anyone could have good accomplishments and wealth, but if their personality is bad, then that does not make them great.
These qualities can make you a great person and if you are great people will appreciate and reach out to you more. Society believes greatness is a good thing, and seems like our society has good values if this is what they believe.

     Greatness is one of the most important things in life. If you have good achievements, but you only care about what you want and not what others need, then that does not mean you are great.

               3) Do time and distance impact someone’s popular perception?

     Many people believed was a great person and always knew what he was doing. People today believe that he was an amazing leader and accomplished so much, and he did, but now how he should have. So what if he had less, at least he would've earned it. I don't feel like Alexander deserved everything that he got. He did work hard, but he had a lot of help that doesn't get credit. (21 Moulton)  Everyone believes that he had a great personality, but that wasn't always true, and he would be very controlling. He was also egotistical and a megalomaniac. He was also very demanding and thought he was always right. He never took advice from even his closest friends. Even when his army would tell something that could help him, he wouldn't even consider it.


     Alexander wasn't one who would care about what he left behind. He thought it was just okay, to leave the country, which he ruled, and just go and try to rule Persia. He didn't seem loyal. He just decided that expanding his empire was more important than his own country. He doesn't even seem to believe in loyalty, he just leaves. It was what he wanted his whole life, but then he just decides to go another path.

     He doesn't realize that a country can't rule on it's own. He just cares about what he wants and how wealthy he is. This, to me, is not a great personality. Personality is more important than anything, when it comes to greatness. Society today believes this also, but they don't know Alexander's personality, they just assumed that since he had such a large empire and was a good leader, that he was a great person in history. So in conclusion, greatness is not just about accomplishments, it's also about personality.

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Levi, Peter. Atlas of the Greek World. New York, NY: Facts on File, 1980. Print.

Moulton, Carroll. Ancient Greece and Rome: An Encyclopedia for Students. New York: Scribner, 1998. Print.

Wepman, Dennis. Alexander the Great. New York: Chelsea House, 1986. Print.

Worthington, Ian. "How "Great" Was Alexander?" University of Texas. University of Texas, 1999. Web. 22 Sept. 2014.

Emmons, Jim Tschen. "Alexander the Great." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras. ABC-CLIO, 2014. Web. 29 Sept. 2014.