Alexander was brought up as the son of Olympias and Philip; however, at a young age, Alexander is told by his mother that Philip is not his father (24). Their family life is dysfunctional and it seems that some of Alexander’s drive later in his life came from a determination to escape from his childhood trauma. “It seems evident that the violent fracture of their relations must have happened in Alexander’s early childhood, the time when it would give the deepest pain and leave the deepest impression” (23). His father was scarcely around due to his leadership in Macedonia and his mother was very possessive. His parents never approved of the things he did in his childhood, namely his musical talents. He sang in a high pitched voice that his father told him he should be ashamed of. “It was probably not the only time his parents took out on him their hatred of one another” (33). Although the relationship between family members was not at its best, Alexander went so far as to save his own father’s life. His father could never admit to this; he was probably ashamed that a great leader such as him would be put in the position where his own son would have to risk his own life to save his father’s. This seems to be the start of the jealousy that developed between father and son. After a fight with Attalus, Alexander’s relationship with his father was scarred forever.

His whole career shows that for him power was not an end but a tool. He longed to discover, and what he found to shape creatively. The romantic love of personal heroism, which shortened his life, was also the spell which caused his men to follow him, and is inseparable from his destiny (251).

What he had said to Philip to bring him to the verge of homicide remains an interesting speculation. It may have released a long-suppressed jealousy of his son’s good looks, intellectual precocity, sensational popularity with his soldiers, and the tight loyal circle of “Alexander’s friends”. (56)

Without Philip, Alexander would not have had half the drive that he had throughout his life to become such a powerful and successful leader. Alexander had large shoes to fill, but took every means necessarily to fill them.

Although Alexander and his father put aside their differences, they often competed and it seems that he was constantly caught between trying to live up-and surpass- the accomplishments of his father, while trying to tolerate his strange relationship with his mother. This jealousy c

Some topics in this essay:
Attalus Alexander’s, Mary Renault, Olympias Philip, Philip Alexander, Hephaestion Alexander, Nature Alexander, alexander’s life, age alexander, person leader, family life,