Lukas Otterman 1

Johnathan Hoglund
Omnibus 4 Primary
1-16-22

The Man who Shaped the Legend

It was the year of 336 BC and the entirety of western civilization was about to be plunged

into an era of such chaos and confusion, that many of the greatest minds of their time wondered,

how could the known world ever go back to the simplicity and peace of life that was known

before he became king; before Alexander the Great ascended onto his murdered father’s throne

and began his world-wide conquest? But while many have heard of this powerful historical

figure, his story is far more complex than most people realize.

As a young boy Alexander never saw much of his father who was constantly at war with

his neighboring lands. So when Alexander was thirteen, King Phillip II hired Aristotle, a student

of Plato’s to tutor his son for him. Interestingly enough Aristotle was at first hesitant to take the

job, despite the large sum of money King Phillip promised, as he believed that young men are

unable to grasp the finer points of philosophy due to their ambition and passion. He did however

eventually accept, and found in Alexander a student worthy of his teaching.

For three years Aristotle taught the young boy. Some of his study’s included politics,

ethics and logic. When however, the King died, Alexander was called to fill his place and for

almost twenty years the paths of student and teacher parted. Aristotle made sure to keep in touch

with the
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young ruler however, and sent numerus letters and books including Homer’s Iliad which

Alexander kept near him at all times calling it his “guide to warfare.”

But as Alexander continued to spread his empire and rule to the very edges of the known

world, he began accepting a new mindset and started seeing himself as no less than a god. To a

well-versed grounded philosopher like Aristotle this was one of the greatest sins man can

commit. After hearing of this travesty committed by his former student, Aristotle refused to

continue correspondence with Alexander. And, while we do not know the extent of his

participation, it is suggested that Aristotle himself assisted in poisoning the ambitious god-king.

Regardless, there can be no doubt that although it was Alexander the Great’s name that was

feared and worshiped throughout his empire, all of his glory is due to Aristoteles timeless

teaching, and the great empire of Alexander would never have come to pass had it not been for

the man who shaped the legend.

 Works Cited:

Joshua J. Mark. World History Encyclopedia (Mark) 2019

https://www.worldhistory.org/aristotle/

Lisbdnet.com. What did Aristotle Teach Alexander the Great, (2022)

https://lisbdnet.com/what-did-aristotle-teach-alexander-the-great/

Wilson Douglas, Fischer G. Tyler. Omnibus IV The Ancient World. Edited by Edward Veith,

Veritas Press, 2009