Alexander the Great Free Essays

The film was a second-rate epic. One problem is the fight scenes, the fight scenes may look realistic in the time it was released but for modern audiences it may seem to look like it lacks imagination and the effects were too simple. The lack of imagination and creativity is seen all throughout the film. We will write a custom essay sample on Alexander the Great or any similar topic only for you Order Now The director’s work wasn’t actually bad but this kind of film must have been dealt with someone whose form of direction must exhibit more of creativeness and must be imaginative enough to illustrate what kind of life and time the story took place. The main character, Alexander undergoes a remarkable character change, but what is missing is the emotional depth that would emphasize that transformation. Robert Rossen’s version of Alexander the Great displays practical professionalism. The screenplay did not concentrate on Alexander but it is concentrated on the conflict in his family that he went through. The story begins at a time that Greece is divided between Spartans, Athenians, and Macedonians, in 356 B.C. Fredric March played as Philip of Macedonia and he’s role is that he led his troops in a war to defeat Greece when his son Alexander is born. The birth of baby Alexander caused Philip’s closest mentors to urge Philip to put to death not only Alexander, but also Alexander’s mom Olympias, played by Danielle Darrieux). The exact motive behind everyone’s extreme dislike for Olympias is not totally obvious, but it seems to be about ethnic conflict. As a result, Philips council sees Alexander merely as an illegitimate child who doesn’t deserve the throne. In the opening half hour a great deal of time was devoted in the movie depicting the relationship between Alexander and Aristotle, his teacher. Well nobody is sure of how historically accurate this interpretation, but Rossen used the character to creatively smother the wide-ranging idea of his film. The events shown in the film seem to mostly disagree with the written claims of Alexander being an extremely ill-tempered, egotistical, and contemptuous ruler. There were some lines of dialogue that shows Alexander wants to spread Greek Culture, but then he is so unsympathetic to some Greeks like Memnon. The script did not build up the character of Alexander that much for the audience to understand his motivations. Another confusing part if the film is the love story of Alexander and Barsine, the wife of Memnon. One can guess that Rossen used the character of Barsine as a vessel to stimulate a third act which seems to be incompatible with the tone of the film. The finale of the film shows Alexander leaving India and back to Greece, but the journey wasn’t of clear purpose. There was no natural development in character and the majority of the supporting cast is forgettable. Some elements of the film, like Alexander’s affair with the daughter of the Persian king, are only implicit. The make up and costume design imply homoeroticism, but did not explicitly showed Alexander’s bisexuality. The most provoking element of the film Alexander the Great is not that it’s an awful picture, because it exhibits skilled acting, production design, cinematography, and scoring throughout, despite the fact that nothing is astonishing. It is nothing of these exhibit extraordinary points and maybe it is because of Robert Rossen himself. He himself was the director, writer, and producer of the film, and he is expected to be passionate of his craft. How to cite Alexander the Great, Papers Alexander the Great Free Essays Alexander the great was born in July 356 B. C. to his father Phillip II. We will write a custom essay sample on Alexander the Great or any similar topic only for you Order Now Alexander’s father prepared him for a life a conquests and legacies by allowing young Alexander to take over the battle of Chaeronea. This was a very important battle for Alexander since it showed his leadership skills considering he was only 16 years old. After the battle of Chaeronea, Alexander’s father, Phillip II, was assassinated. Now a new ruler at the age of twenty would emerge to the Macedonia people, he was know as Alexander the Great. Alexander the Great conquered many battles leading to the outstanding legacy of his empire. One of Alexander the Great’s conquests was overtaking the Persian Empire in 334 B. C. E. Controlling an army of 37,000 men, Alexander marched them into Asia Minor. Victory after victory eventually leads him and his army to central Asia. Along the way Alexander makes allies with many people appointing rulers as he goes. The battle of Issus, fought in 333 B. C. E. , was another victory Alexander could add on to his list. His advantage to this battle was a narrow field that allowed his men to overtake the enemy. After the victory at Issus, Alexander moved to Egypt, where he became pharaoh. Alexander’s magnet personality allowed him to control the people around him. Another conquest of Alexander the Great was his battle with the Persians at Gaugamela. At this time Alexander had moved his army into the Mesopotamian Kingdoms. Taking over the Persian treasuries at the Persian capitals awarded Alexander and his army with cosmic amounts of gold and silver. Finally in 330 Alexander became the Great King of the Persians when Darius, the current king of the Persians, was assassinated. This is one example of a conquest that would lead to one of the many legacies Alexander carries on today. Having the satisfaction of being the Great King of the Persians was not enough for Alexander. He knew that he was destined for more. He moved into India by 327 B. C. E. , just in time for the battle at Hydaspes River. This battle proved to be an opening for India to obtain Greek political and cultural influence. This appeared to be one of the many legacies Alexander will pass on throughout his short lifespan. In June 323 B. C. E. Alexander the Great died at the age of 32 from battle wounds, exhaustion, and excessive alcohol intake. Although Alexander the Great’s reign was fairly short lived, his legacies live on to this very day. Incontestably, he was one of the greatest generals of all time and one of the most powerful personalities. Spreading Hellenism throughout the Middle East and into Asia and establishing city-states molded by Greek influence only flourished after his death. Stopping at nothing to accomplish what he wanted proved to be a key factor in what made him so great. Overall, Alexander the Great proved time and time again that he could conquer whatever he set his mind to. Having a strong leader to follow like his father only set Alexander up for success. He defeated army after army by implementing his swift decisions and clever tactics. He left the world completed changed from what is once was. Through the conquests of Alexander the Great, he was able to set up legacies that are still implemented today. How to cite Alexander the Great, Essay examples Alexander the Great Free Essays | Alexander the Great| | | Craig Wilson| 11/12/2012| | Alexander was the son of Philip II of Macedonia. He was born in Pella, Macedonia’s capital city in 356 BC. Alexander was tutored by Aristotle, one of the greatest philosophers and smartest men of the time, from when he was 13 until he was 16. We will write a custom essay sample on Alexander the Great or any similar topic only for you Order Now He was also leader of the Companions, which was a group Philip II made to protect him from would be assailants (Alexander the Great Biography) (historyofmacedonia. org). In 340 BC Alexander’s father, Philip II, left for Thrace. While he was away, he left Alexander in charge of the kingdom. While Alexander is in charge, a Thracian tribe of Maedi in north-eastern Macedonia started a rebellion. Alexander took swift action. He assembled an army and led them against the rebels. Alexander was easily able to defeat the rebels and capture their city, which he renamed Alexandropolis. At the age of 18, Alexander was given a commanding rank among the senior generals of Macedonia as they invade Greece (Alexander the Great Biography) (Culverhouse) (historyofmacedonia. org). The battle of Chaeronea, in 338 BC, was the final battle between Athens and the forces of Macedonia. It is a hard vicious battle that proved to be very taxing on both sides. However, the Macedonian forces pull out a very narrow victory and Athens is finally subdued. In celebration, the Macedonians decide to have a Dionysus festival when they return home in 336 BC. While attending this festival, Philip II is approached by an ex-lover with whom he had a child. He had earlier promised that the child would have a high ranking place in his army, but now he refused to acknowledge that the child even belonged to him. Philip II was so conceded that he assumed the woman was approaching him for another night of pleasure, but instead she killed him by slitting his throat. After his father is slain, Alexander takes over as ruler of the Macedonian Empire in 336 BC (Alexander the Great Biography) (Culverhouse) (historyofmacedonia. org). Immediately after Philip II’s death, the places he conquered began to revolt. Alexander, being the great leader that he is, easily stomps out the rebellions. Alexander then looks to take over Persia, which is at this point led by Darius III. When they reach Persia and begin to fight, Alexander’s troops tear through the Persians and appear almost invincible against them. As he defeats the Persians, he is recruiting the defeated soldiers instead of killing them. This expands his troops and allows him to keeps the numbers of his armies high so he can stay and fight longer (Alexander the Great Biography) (Culverhouse) (historyofmacedonia. org). The soldiers he tries to recruit eagerly accept his offer. The soldiers do this because he offers them pay, and he tells them that they are free to leave whenever they please. Alexander only asks that his troops be able to marry Persian women. Alexander does this in hopes that it will unite the Persian people with his (Alexander the Great Biography) (Culverhouse) (historyofmacedonia. org). In 331 BC, the Battle of Gaugamela, which is the final battle between Darius III and Alexander the Great, takes place. The Persians are horribly defeated at this battle. Their leader, Darius III, is finally slain, and the Persian’s main city, Persepolis, is sacked and burned to the ground. After the battle, Alexander takes Roxanne of Bactria as his wife, which his men highly disapprove of (Alexander the Great Biography) (Culverhouse) (historyofmacedonia. org). Alexander then moves on to conquer Babylon, and pushes on to the Indus valley. Here Alexander and his troops meet heavy resistance that they have never seen before. War elephants are used against Alexander and his men, and they have no idea how to combat against the huge beasts. So Alexander orders that they retreat and come in a few weeks stronger than before to conquer he Indus valley tribes, but his men disagree. At this point Alexander and his men have been out conquering for about ten years and his men are ready to return home. So his men organize a mutiny against him, which he easily disbands. Alexander realizes his men’s fatigue and does decide to return home to Macedonia (Alexander the Great Biography) (Culverhouse) (historyofmacedonia. org). On their way home, Alexander decides to throw a party to raise his men’s moral. Even though Alexander’s men advise him against it because they can tell he is sick, he begins to drink heavily. This is a bad idea because he is believed to have had yellow fever at the time. Alexander eventually drinks himself into a coma, but somehow comes out of it and survives two more days with his sickness. He has no heir in line for the throne, so while he is on his death bed his men ask him who will be the next ruler. Alexander just laughs and says, â€Å"Whoever is the Strongest. † Alexander’s death was in the year 322 BC (Alexander the Great Biography) (Culverhouse) (historyofmacedonia. org). Since he left no heir, Alexander’s kingdom was split into three different parts. Egypt is taken by Alexander’s right hand man, Ptolemy. Ptolemy took samples of every new plant he found and became the world’s first botanist. Ptolemy Egypt, even though it was near ruins, turned out to be the most durable of the three. Seleucid Asia is next. It has the best resources out of the three, but is the least stable of the three and a complete failure. The instability is caused by Seleucid trying to force Greek tradition on the Persians, and the Persians are constantly rebelling. The third and final part is the homeland of Alexander the Great, and the most fought over. It was taken by Antigonus, and even though there was still a great deal of instability here, it was to a lesser extent than that of Seleucid Asia (Alexander the Great Biography) (Culverhouse) (historyofmacedonia. org). Works Cited Alexander the Great Biography. 1996-2012. 30 October 2012 http://www. biography. com/people/alexander-the-great-9180468. Culverhouse, Mr. C. History Teacher Craig Wilson. October 2012. historyofmacedonia. org. Alexander the Great(Alexander of Macedon) Biography. 2001-2003. 30 October 2012 http://www. historyofmacedonia. org/AncientMacedonia/AlexandertheGreat. html. How to cite Alexander the Great, Papers