Document Analysis.

The Analysis of the document.

Alexander was one of the greatest leaders to ever grace the earth. His legend is well-written in Volume 7 of the Loeb Classical Library Edition. The initial source of the document was The Parallel Lives by Plutarch.  Plutarch was a Roman civil Servant who wrote about Greek philosophy and history among others. The document has been made available by Bill Layer with the general public as his intended audience. This is due to the fact that it is provided online and is meant for the public domain.

The document is a historical account of the birth, life, challenges and victories of Alexander the great. The author attempts not to dwell on the histories of his subject but vividly describe his life. This involves a look at Alexander’s deeds, character, virtues, and vices. Many writings today on the same topic wish to only describe the deeds of Alexander with the authors focusing mostly on his triumphant victories and great conquests. However, this is not the case with this particular document. Plutarch devotes himself to painting a clear picture that portrays the life of his characters, demystifying and unmasking them in order to make his audience understand and relate with Alexander as a man. This is seen as the main reason why Plutarch wrote this document.

The geographical setting of the document was in Macedonia, Egypt, Greece, Central Asia, Afghanistan, the Mediterranean Sea, and India among other places. It cuts across various kingdoms such as the Persian and Greek kingdoms. The setting of this historical account is very important for the readers. This is because for one to fully comprehend the life of Alexander, he must be aware of the time he lived, the areas he dwelled, and the way of life of the people in those area at that point in history.

It is unclear when Plutarch wrote the document, however its publishing in Volume 7 of the Loeb Classical Library Edition occurred in 1919. It is based on the years between 287 BC and 320 BC. The way of life of the people during this time was quite different with today’s lifestyle. Therefore, there were various factors and events that not only shaped Plutarch’s perception but also influenced him when he was writing about Alexander. At that time, most societies were aristocratic, living in kingdoms that were ruled by kings. Education was available but only to the rich and powerful such as the noble families and military officers. The young were taught on various fields such as ethics and logic.  Wars were very common with kings that were always pressing to expand their territories.

            The document is credible. This is attributed to the fact that the author, Plutarch was a well-known and recognized writer during his time. He was both a philosopher and historian who was and still is regarded as one of the best writers of Roman history. Today, various publishers have interpreted and published his manuscripts in different languages such as English and French.

The Summary of the Document.

Born in Macedonia, Alexander the Great was the son of King Philip and Olympias. Before his birth, his parents had visions that were interpreted by an oracle to mean their son will be a great leader. As a boy, Alexander practiced self-restraint especially when it came to bodily pleasures. His ambitious nature kept his spirit lofty and serious. Upon observing his son’s unyielding nature and high level of reasoning, King Phillip sent for Aristotle, the most learned and famous philosopher at the time to become Alexander’s tutor (Plutarch, 1919).

Phillip was very fond of his son. However, their strong relationship continued to diminish as time went on. At twenty years of age, Alexander rose to become the king. The kingdom at the time was in shambles, characterized by dangers, hatreds and jealousies. He brought order in the kingdom and waged numerous wars against his enemies, leading numerous expeditions and conquering them each time. His greatest achievement however was defeating Dareius, the king of Persia. Dareius had a very large force of six hundred thousand men. Nevertheless, even with inferior numbers, Alexander still managed to emerge victorious in the war with Persia.  The win was also as a result of Dareius’s bad decision. Alexander continued ruling in a kingly manner which made many to love and praise him (Plutarch, 1919).

References,

Plutarch. (1919). The Life of Alexander. Retrieved July 16, 2015, from,             http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Plutarch/Lives/Alexander*/3.html