Alexander The Great

Summary

The web content presents a historical poem about Alexander the Great, detailing his legendary origins, education by Aristotle, early military exploits, family tensions, and his ascent to the throne following his father's assassination.

Abstract

The provided text is a poetic narrative that recounts the early life and rise to power of Alexander the Great. It begins with the prophetic signs surrounding his birth, suggesting his destiny as a great leader. The poem describes his education under Aristotle, his early military successes, and the political intrigue involving his father, King Philip II, and his stepmother, Cleopatra Eurydice. The narrative culminates in the assassination of Philip II and Alexander's subsequent coronation at the age of twenty. The poem is part of a challenge to convey historical facts through poetry and is accompanied by links to other historical poems by the same authors.

Opinions

The author expresses admiration for Alexander's precocious leadership and military prowess, as evidenced by his swift action against the Thracian Maedi and the founding of Alexandroupolis.
There is a clear depiction of the tension and perceived betrayal within Alexander's family, particularly highlighting the insult of his potentially illegitimate heritage and the subsequent fallout.
The poem suggests that Alexander's path to greatness was not only a result of his own actions but also shaped by divine signs and the guidance of influential figures like Aristotle and his father, Philip II.
The author seems to appreciate the complexity of Alexander's relationships, especially the conflict with his father and the loyalty of his mother, Olympias.
The text implies that the challenge of writing historical poetry is both enjoyable and a creative way to engage with history, pushing the author outside their comfort zone.

Historical Poetry — About the king of Macedon

Even before birth, divine signs have shown A tale about the future king of Macedon Who would rise to become a legend A conqueror, second to none Alexander the Great, King Philip II’s son As his mother, Olympia carried her child Nightly dreams sought her, of thunder far and wide Striking her womb, giving him Zeus’s mark This is the legend, being told by Plutarch Destined for greatness From the day of conception His name bore truth About his greatness, no question

At the age of thirteen, he was lectured and tutored By Aristotle himself, at the Temple of Nymphs Only three years later, his tutoring ended As his father was waging war with Byzantion Alexander was named heir and left in the role of regent Finding himself against Thracian Maedi, who revolted against Quick on the matter, this young man drove them out Founded Alexandroupolis on their lands, standing proud When his father returned from the war He was proud of his son, showing true strength So he gave him a horse and send him off again This time against Thrace, to subdue revolting men He would continue his conquest And prove his worth Riding on through the ages To conquer half of this earth

But his heir would be threatened, on his father’s behest When he fell in love with Cleopatra Eurydice and they soon wed For any son she’d birth, would be a true Macedonian While Alexander himself is a half one at best In the night of the wedding, Cleopatra's uncle exclaimed “May she birth a true heir, let us pray to the gods!” Hearing this insult, Alexander enraged Throwing his cup to his head, “Do you imply, I am not?!” Alex’s father took a stance with uncle Attalus instead Preparing to forcefully run his son through But by fortune for both, he lost his footing and fell Upon which Alex insulted him, mocking his pursue But the dice have been cast, and Alexander fled Taking his mother, together to Dodona they sped He left her there and moved to Illyria next Seeking King Glaukias, becoming an exiled guest

His father, Philip II, never intended to disown him For his son was still a god-given gift So they mediated their differences with Demaratus’ help A family friend helped their wounded egos get stitched Attending the wedding of his daughter King Philip II got stabbed in the back Assassinated by Pausanias His bodyguard planned a vicious attack The assassin ran, trying to save his skin But Alexander’s men pursued him He tumbled over a vine and fell His pursuers caught up, and sent him to hell On that night, Alexander was proclaimed king As true heir to his father, only 20 years old His true reign would just now begin For this is just the start, of this man’s story, told.

This piece of historical poetry was written as an answer to a challenge by Gurpreet Dhariwal and Dipti Pande, using poetry to tell historical facts or historical fiction. As I was asked to write about Alexander the Great, this seemed crazy. There’s just too much about that man. So this really is a “short” version. Just about until the moment, he gets officially crowned king.

Here is an entry from Gurpreet Dhariwal, dealing with Troy

And an entry from Dipti Pande, dealing with Robin Hood

Trying to weave history into poetry is an interesting twist of things and puts me outside my comfort zone. But it’s really fun.

Kevin is an editor and writer for the ILLUMINATION publication. Follow him on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Poetry | History

Alexander The Great

Historical Poetry — About the king of Macedon

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