Leonidas's Influence on Alexander

[jan]

Who is Leonidas? How important is he in the development of the character of Alexander? Is he the cause of Alexander's rage against Kleitos?

[jona]

Leonidas is mentioned in Plutarch's biography of Alexander.Section 5.7:
"In the work of caring for Alexander, many persons were appointed to be his nurturers, tutors, and teachers, but over them all stood Leonidas, a man of stern temperament and a kinsman of Olympias. Although he did not himself shun the title of tutor, since the office afforded an honourable and brilliant occupation, yet by other people, owing to his dignity and his relationship, he was called Alexander's foster-father and preceptor."Section 22.7-10:
"Alexander had also the most complete mastery over his appetite, and showed this both in many other ways, and especially by what he said to Ada, whom he honoured with the title of Mother and made queen of Caria. When, namely, in the kindness of her heart, she used to send him day by day many viands and sweetmeats, and finally offered him bakers and cooks reputed to be very skilful, he said he wanted none of them, for he had better cooks which had been given him by his tutor, Leonidas; for his breakfast, namely, a night march, and for his supper, a light breakfast. "And this same Leonidas," he said, "used to come and open my chests of bedding and clothing, to see that my mother did not hide there for me some luxury or superfluity."Section 25.6-8:
"Moreover, as he was dispatching great quantities of the spoils home to Olympias and Cleopatra and his friends, he sent also to Leonidas his tutor 500 talents' weight of frankincense and a 100 of myrrh, in remembrance of the hope which that teacher had inspired his boyhood. It would seem, namely, that Leonidas, as Alexander was one day sacrificing and taking incense with both hands to throw upon the altar-fire, said to him: "Alexander, when thou hast conquered the spice-bearing regions thou canst be thus lavish with thine incense; now, however, use sparingly what thou hast." Accordingly, Alexander now wrote him: "I have sent thee myrrh and frankincense in abundance, that thou mayest stop dealing parsimoniously with the gods."I am not sure that this information is reliable; Plutarch is a moralist, not a historian.Jona

[jan]

Thank you, Jona, as I read an article by a David Quint, in an interpretation of Act 4, Scene 7, of Henry V, in which Alexander is called Alexander the Pig because Fluellen cannot pronounce the letter b, but pronounces it as a b sound. IN this article, the author suggests that Leonidas had been a bad influence on Alexander when so young. Thanks so much for all the references as to understand why it is that Leonidas is a negative influence. I don't quite understand how it is that it would affect Cleitus yet, but I appreciate his miserly status and stinginess now.

[agesilaos]

Presumably, Alexander is meant to be under the influence of a Father-Hate syndrome due to Leonidas being so stern and Kleitos falls into the role of surrogate father, just as his siter Hellanike was a surrogate mother and pays the price. One could extend the psycho-babble but it is too flawed to warrant it.

[marcus]

Hi Jan,I don't think we have enough information to draw *any* conclusions about Alexander's relationship with Cleitus (in so far as whether it was, and how it was affected by Leonidas). Any conclusions we draw will be mere suppositions, and not based on enough evidence of any kind.All the bestMarcus