Was Alexander happy?

[Fiona]

Glancing through RLF's 'The Making of Alexander' last night, while searching for something else, I was struck by one of Colin Farrell's comments about Alexander.
RLF writes:
" 'Was Alexander ever happy as king?', Colin asked me, 'he was young, but I see him always with an old soul…if he was happy, it was never because of the plunder or what he could take for himself…perhaps he was happy, visiting Homer's Troy, perhaps on entering Babylon, but otherwise, maybe never…'."

I am struck by Colin's thoughtfulness and insight, and at first, I think he's right. How could anyone with such a restless yearning ever be truly happy? Only briefly, at moments of such fulfilment as Troy and Babylon, but it would soon pass, as he looked to the next horizon.
But then I think, hang on a minute – Alexander had charisma, his army loved him, people were attracted to him as a person, and people with that kind of charisma usually exude a kind of happiness that appeals to others. Maybe he had an outer joyfulness, without ever being completely content inside, and others just sensed the joy, unless they were very close to him. I don't know – I guess in the end it might just come down to how you define 'happy'. But I'd be interested to hear others' thoughts on this.
Fiona

[Phoebus]

After being forced by his men to turn around in India? I doubt it.

Could a westerly expedition/line of conquests heal that hurt? Maybe--though I doubt he would have recovered from the death of his best friend any time soon.

[jasonxx]

Charisma And happyness.

A nice thought but I doubt it.... Centuries later and a very different Person. I look at Elvis Presley. I saw tremendous Charisma and overall general love All over the world to emphasise a love and Charisma that stii is alive toda.

And yet I cant think of a more tragic and misewrable existance. It was very evident the guy toward the end was as miserable as any and for me the guy welcomed death. For all the charm etc such people inside can be not happy at all.

kenny

[Fiona]

After being forced by his men to turn around in India? I doubt it.

Could a westerly expedition/line of conquests heal that hurt? Maybe--though I doubt he would have recovered from the death of his best friend any time soon.

Ah, no - not after those things had happened. The first one a bitter memory, and the second a devastating blow.
Yet he was no coward, and not one to sit about moping, at least, not for more than a few days. He'd know, I think, and if he didn't, some wise older soul may have told him, that there's no cure for grief so good as work. And going off conquering and exploring was his work, so it's no surprise to see him planning the trip to Arabia. Not saying it made it happy, but it must have taken his mind off his loss a little bit, and maybe he was hoping that the trade routes he would establish would enable him to get back to India one day. Linking this a bit to those thoughts in another thread, I do see the planned Arabia campaign as more about trade and exploration than conquest. Possibly I've got a wrong impression here, but the emphasis on ships, and the central role of Nearchus, make me think that he had a whole set of new ideas in his head, about opening up the world, and connecting his lands.
Would that have made him happy? At that stage in his life, I think that anything that gave him some sense of achievement would have brought some momentary happiness. But without Hephaistion, perhaps a happiness that couldn't be fully shared.

Fiona

[Fiona]

Charisma And happyness.

A nice thought but I doubt it.... Centuries later and a very different Person. I look at Elvis Presley. I saw tremendous Charisma and overall general love All over the world to emphasise a love and Charisma that stii is alive toda.

And yet I cant think of a more tragic and misewrable existance. It was very evident the guy toward the end was as miserable as any and for me the guy welcomed death. For all the charm etc such people inside can be not happy at all.

kenny

I see your point, Kenny. You can have all the charisma in the world, and still not be happy inside. It may very well be so. A parallel might be those comic artists who make us laugh, and yet are deeply unhappy inside.
I'm afraid I don't know much at all about Elvis Presley, but I'll take your word for it that this is how it was for him.
Do you think, then, that Alexander's charisma and Elvis's charisma were of a similar nature? They both made people love them, and mourn their deaths, and I have heard it said that Elvis had a profound influence on musical development.
Whether his achievements could ever be compared to Alexander's, I don't know. I suspect not, but I guess another couple of thousand years would have to pass, before we would know if he was remembered in the same way that Alexander still is.
Still, an interesting comparison, thanks!
Fiona

[amyntoros]

And going off conquering and exploring was his work, so it's no surprise to see him planning the trip to Arabia. Not saying it made it happy, but it must have taken his mind off his loss a little bit, and maybe he was hoping that the trade routes he would establish would enable him to get back to India one day. Linking this a bit to those thoughts in another thread, I do see the planned Arabia campaign as more about trade and exploration than conquest. Possibly I've got a wrong impression here, but the emphasis on ships, and the central role of Nearchus, make me think that he had a whole set of new ideas in his head, about opening up the world, and connecting his lands.

I don't want to derail this thread but had to give you Strabo's comments on the planned conquest of Arabia.

Strabo Book XVI. Chapter I. 11. Assyria.

Aristobulus relates that Alexander himself, when he was sailing up the river, and directing the course of the boat, inspected the canals, and ordered them to be cleared by his multitude of followers; he likewise stopped up some of the mouths, and opened others. He observed that one of these canals, which took a direction more immediately to the marshes, and to the lakes in front of Arabia, had a mouth very difficult to be dealt with, and which could not be easily closed on account of the soft and yielding nature of the soil; he (therefore) opened a new mouth at the distance of 30 stadia, selecting a place with a rocky bottom, and to this the current was diverted. But in doing this he was taking precautions that Arabia should not become entirely inaccessible in consequence of the lakes and marshes, as it was already almost an island from the quantity of water (which surrounded it). For he contemplated making himself master of this country; and he had already provided a fleet and places of rendezvous; and had built vessels in Phoenicia and at Cyprus, some of which were in separate pieces, others were in parts, fastened together by bolts. These, after being conveyed to Thapsacus in seven distances of a day's march, were then to be transported down the river to Babylon. He constructed other boats in Babylonia, from cypress trees in the groves and parks, for there is a scarcity of timber in Babylonia. Among the Cossaei and some other tribes, the supply of timber is not great.

The pretext for the war, says Aristobulus, was that the Arabians were the only people who did not send their ambassadors to Alexander; but the true reason was his ambition to be lord of all.

When he was informed that they worshipped two deities only, Jupiter and Bacchus, who supply what is most requisite for the subsistence of mankind, he supposed that, after his conquests, they would worship him as a third, if he permitted them to enjoy their former national independence. Thus was Alexander employed in clearing the canals, and in examining minutely the sepulchers of the kings, most of which are situated among the lakes.

Best regards,

[Fiona]

I don't want to derail this thread but had to give you Strabo's comments on the planned conquest of Arabia.

I love his interest in the practicalities, in how to get things done. Thank you, this was new to me, and I enjoyed reading it.
Fiona

[jasonxx]

Fiona

Yes Im pretty sure Chrisma Is chrisma And Alexander had it as much as Elvis.

I think its one of those things you cant describe or really say what it Is. Whatever it is and where it comes from in my opinion is nearly divine and comes from somewhere.

People try to deride Presley for certain things. For not writing songs etc. But in my opinion Ive not seen so much charisma in any one.

I make many comparisons with Human greatness with Elvis and Alexander. The main difference was that Presley was a very weak man and did as he was told.

Alexander inherited to be a king... The World made Presley a king basically through love and as you say his enormous Charisma.

Both were extremely different but they both had a magical gift from somewhere.

Kenny

[jan]

I appreciate this question if only because we learned something about Alexander through Strabo that is very well worth knowing and convinces me yet that Alexander truly believes in his own deity status. Thanks, Amyntoros, for sharing this information now.

My own belief about Alexander is that historians are who shape our opinion about him, and that we are totally dependent upon their decency in copying exact data from one another and passing it onto us.

I especially appreciate the great detail that Strabo has given to posterity about Alexander's examination of the environment in which he is working. That shows exactly how thorough and exacting Alexander is. Some would call his consideration of becoming a person to be worshiped as a form of megalomanai, but I am totally convinced that he recognized his own self worth and asserted it. I really appreciated this article more than you can know. It confirms my belief that he is a deity and many realized and recognized it.