I was very conflicted about this person. Alexander almost seems bipolar. First he treats himself the same as his soldiers, and then he kills someone for doing a good deed because of his big ego. He makes you think he is good, then he does something bad and you are unsure. After thorough research, I now know that his bad deeds outweigh his good ones. Alexander always put himself in front of everyone else and did not care about anyone else.
Source: biography.com
Alexander will never deserve to be considered great. He pretended to be a GOD. That is how important he thought he was. He was already praised enough when he was king. Alexander does not deserve our respect. We do not have to remember him as great. He did not earn that title.
Alexander lost many of his men trying to conquer one city that was not even important. The 30000 survivors, who did nothing to stop him, were sold into slavery. 2000 men were crucified. These people did nothing wrong. Alexander just punished them because he was ruthless and evil.
Alexander always thought he was very special just because he was the king. In a story, it says that Alexander was on a boat. He was wearing a hat that had a band around it. Then, a gust of wind blew against the hat and it fell into the water. The band came off and was caught by a reed. One of the sailors, who was a loyal supporter of Alexander, swam to the band. To bring it back, he put it on his head to keep it dry. As a reward, Alexander gave him a talent. Then he ordered for his head to be cut off. He said that the head that had worn the king’s head band should not be safe.
I would be surprised if you still think this guy was a good person. After all he did, I do not understand why he should be remembered as Alexander the Great. He should be remembered as Alexander the Terrible. In my mind, he will be.
Sources: History Alive! The Ancient World 6th Grade Textbook, The Campaigns of Alexander by Lucius Flavius Arrianius,
Alexander of Macedon by Peter Green
