Alexander the Great

Act 2 Scenes 3 & 4

Setting :Alexander’s tent at the end of the world

- It was the wedding of Alexander and Roxana

-Main Idea of the scene : Cleitus was angry as Alexander started to equate between the Persians and the
Greeks .

-The scene starts with Alexander telling Ptolemy and Cleitus his plan of invading India. Alexander prepared
to march to Indian after six months . Cleitus says that he wants to return to Pella ,the capital city of
Macedon . Cleitus became angry as Alexander said that Pella is a small country in his Kingdom and said that
Macedon isn’t his Kingdom and it is only a province in his kingdom.

-Cleitus was angry and wanted to leave but Alexander stopped saying that he was like his father and had
always been by his side in battles and wouldn’t leave him on his wedding day .

- Hephastion then entered as he was asked to come to meet Alexander . Alexander sent Ptolemy and
Cleitus to kiss the bride according to the Persian traditions .

-Alexander apologized to Hephastion , he justified for him why he had to change and become a despot (
dictator and tyrant ) to protect the world he had dreamt of which is the world ruled by a man god where
peace spread . When he killed Philotas and Parmenion he was afraid to fail and lose his world . He could
have gained the title of the kind and merciful Alexander ,but that was equal to Alexander the defeated .

-Celitus enters with the bride , he seems a little drunk . He was angered by Alexander speaking highly of the
Persians .

1) Alexander said that they should look at the bride calling her “ Her Majesty “ and that made Cleitus angry
telling she is not considered his majesty as she is a Persian .

2) Alexander then said that he wished Queen mother of Persia was with him on that day ,but Celitus told
him that his queen was Alexander’s mother Queen Olympias of Macedon .

3) Cletius then made it clear to Alexander that he was angry as Alexander insists on treating the Persians
who are barbarians equal to the Greeks . Ptolemy explains to Alexander that Celitus was acting in that way
as Ptolemy had told him that Alexander wanted to take some Persians as his companions for the Indian
expedition .
-Cleitus told Alexander then if he intended to make the Persians his companions why did he fight them
then from the beginning , and then he would also make the Indians his companions as well .
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- Cleitus was also angry that he would be asked to kneel down in front of Roxana during the wedding
ceremony . He said that he would never kneel to a Persian .

- Alexander furiously told Cleitus that he should follow the rituals and traditions as the King of Persia was
getting married and the ceremony should be done according to the rites (traditions ) of his Persian
ancestors . That made Cleitus go mad , telling Alexander that he was ashamed of him as he is the son of
Philip and called Persian his ancestors and that if Philip ,Alexander father , was alive he would be ashamed
of him and that Alexander was not man like his father . He also told him that he wasn’t afraid to be killed
just like he did with Parmenion

-When Alexander was compared to his father he was extremely angry and followed Cletius who had left
the tent and aimed a javelin (spear) at Cleitus who returned with the spear deeply embedded in his back

- Cleitus fell to the ground telling Alexander that he was only drunk and then died . Alexander fell to his
knees by Cleitus side . He called himself a parricide as he had killed him his father since he always called
Cleitus his father. He remembered the day of his father’s wedding banquet when he made fun of
Alexander . He regretted killing cletius and wanted to kill himself but Hephaestion stopped him .

- Cletius death was considered the point that made Alexander realize that he had changed and feel sorry
for that .

- This scene shows how Alexander relation with his father was greatly disturbed . He always challenged
himself to be better than his father .

Scene 4

Setting : The same tent

- The scene opens with Hephastion giving orders to some soldiers to collect every thing in the tent as
they were marching to India at dawn .
- Perediccas arrived with Queen mother from Babylon . He was surprised to know about the march
to India because the weather was very cold and they should have waited .
- Perediccas said that he knew about Cletius death from some deserters who were on their way back
to Babylon and he was afraid that would have a bad effect on the army .
- Alexander entered and asked Perediccas to call Queen Mother as he wanted to meet her directly .
- Queen mother enteres looking down ,she seemed submissive just in the same way she first saw
Alexander when she was his captive . She didn’t talk to him at first as ahe had vowed since Darius
death .
- Alexander at the beginning Alexander tried to make her speak and told her that he would take her
with him to India .
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- He then started to talk to her about his fears as he admitted that he had changed and that he
wished he could be the old Alexander , but she told him that it was useless ,he could have done that
before Gaugemela battle , but now he had to continue . That shows that Alexander started
To feel sorry for what he has done . He lost all those who were loyal to him ,he felt lonely .
- Queen mother told him that he couldn’t have stopped because the devil in him wouldn’t let him
rest until he reached his aim . ( the devil is Alexander ambition and his wish to do the impossible
and was considered his tragic flaw )
- Aleander remembered Pythia’s words which were “ Know yourself , the first conquest is yourself”
- Queen mother told him that he had to continue till the end even it was bitter .
- Alexander then asked Hephastion to pull down the tent and gather all Alexander’s luggage that had
a lot of precious thing and make a bonfire above them all he should put the throne and burn it .
- Burning the throne signifies how Alexander wished to kill the devil inside him and return to his good
qualities that he lost in his conquest for being the Master of the World .He lost all his loyal friends
to win that throne .
Epilogue

Setting : The same as in the Prologue (Babylon)

-Alexander is on his death bed , hallucinating due to the high fever , calling for Hephastion and
then he remembered that he had died on their way back from India . Alexander found it ironical to
die on bed at the age of 32 , he said that his father should be laughing at him for dying in such a
way ..
- Alexander said that he wouldn’t name his successor as he didn’t want to burden anyone with the
huge empire and the one who should rule it should fight and work for it . He thought that by not
naming his successor it would be an act of mercy .
-It was consider a mistake that Alexander didn’t name a successor as his empire was divided into
different parts after his death.