One could literally write a novel in epic form on ALEXANDER THE GREAT Essays uncharacteristically eventful life.
Ihave decided that my poems form shall be an excerpt from animaginary epic written by a Greek author shortly afterAlexanders unfortunate demise. This section is a scenewhere Alexander himself, while on his deathbed, is restatinghis life. I was brought into existence in Pella,a child of divine birth1, to my devoted parentsPhilip II, ruler of Macedonia, and Olympias, princess of Epirus on the sixth ofHecatombaeon. On this day the Temple of Artemis burnt tothe ground, signifying my future glory. I was taught only by the finest.
While in my teens I was not only a student of Aristotle,but I also performed the accomplishment of mountingBucephalus. 2 I took much pleasure in entertaining amanyPersian ambassadors while my father was away. Philip leftme in charge of Macedon at only 16, when he left to conquerthe Byzantines. At the age of 18 I was granted the honorof becoming an ambassador to Athens, at which to the offer Iaccepted. In the summer of 336 BC I was 20 years of age when myfather was assassinated at the theater. Some said I was aconspirator to the death of my father, while Isurreptitiously know it was my mothers ill fated plans.
Ithen acceded to the throne of Macedonia, and quicklyassembled the League of Corinth, and was confirmed as thegeneral of the anti-Persian movement. I soon found myself endangered by not only enemies abroad,but also at home. I personally demanded their execution. In the spring of 334 BC I began my conquest to unite allpeople and control this new world brotherhood of all men. Before I could take on Persia I needed to calm the vastseas of uprising in my own country. I headed north andcrushed the defecting Thracians.
Upon my return home Idevastated the threatening Illyrians, and went on to Thebes,which had revolted against my warnings. I took the citywith great force and burnt it to the ground, sparing onlythe temples of the gods, and the house of the poet Pindar. I sold the suffering citizens, nearly 8,000 in number, intoslavery. My absence of compassion toward the Thebianstaught all other Greek city-states a valuable teaching. They all agreed to be placed under my superior rule.
I began my encounters with the Persians in March of 334 BCby crossing Hellespont with a colossal army of 30,000infantry and 5,000 cavalry, a group of both Macedonian andGreek troops. My Macedonian officers included only thebest; Antigonus, Ptolemy, and Seleculus – all unmatched inmilitary strategy. At the Granicus river, in the proximityof ancient Troy, I encountered an army of Greek hoplites andPersians. Their number was greater than our own – near40,000 warriors. My forces destroyed the adversaries – welost only 110 men.
Soon after all the city-states of AsiaMinor submitted to my rule. While going through Phrygia I performed one of my greatestaccomplishments. I had heard of an oracle promise thatwhoever could undo the Gordian Knot would become the nextruler of Asia. This intricate knot had been tied by KingGordius of Phrygia. With my own sword I cut through thistangled puzzle, one fit for Zeus himself. I continued on southward and at Issus I encountered thecentral Persian army.
Under the order of King Darius IIIPersias military of over 500,000 men was conquered. KingDarius, now lost without his army, fled northward, leavinghis own mother, wife, and children to the mercy of myself. I demanded they be treated as the royalty they are, consuming only the finest ambrosias and dwelling in the mostluxurious quarters available. All the actions of war were to my favor. I was the king,my armies the pawns.
In less than one year after the battleof Issus I conquered Tyre and Gaza, and traveled on toEgypt. In November of 332 BC I was crowned as a pharaoh bythe Egyptians. In the spring I made a journey to the grand temple andoracle of Amon-Ra, located at Siwah. The temple was builthigh of carved stone, a spectacle to any mortals eye.
Earlier Egyptian pharaohs of Egypt were believed to be sonsof Amon-Ra and I, now the ruler of not only Egypt, but allof the Mediterranean, proclaimed myself a son of Amon-Ra aswell. Later that year I ordered the commencement of theconstruction of Alexandria. This beautiful city on themouth .
