Alexander the Great: He conquered half of the known world when he was barely out of his teens. (World history).CHARACTERS: Philip II Philip II, king of France Philip II or Philip Augustus, 1165–1223, king of France (1180–1223), son of Louis VII. During his reign the royal domains were more than doubled, and the royal power was consolidated at the expense , King of Macedonia Alexander, his son Parmenion, Macedonian general Callisthenes (kuh-LIS-thuh-neez), Alexander's official historian Ptolemy (TAH-luh-mee), Macedonian general Soldiers 1-3 Narrators A-F In 356 B.C., Prince Alexander of Macedonia was born into a life of promise. His father, King Philip King Philip See Philip, King. , was busy conquering Greece. His mother, Queen Olympias, claimed descent from the legendary hero Achilles (uh-KIHL-eez). Alexander's teacher was the brilliant philosopher Aristotle (AR-in-staht-uhl). Alexander would not disappoint dis·ap·point v. dis·ap·point·ed, dis·ap·point·ing, dis·ap·points v.tr. 1. To fail to satisfy the hope, desire, or expectation of. 2. the promise that others saw in him. As a young man, he conquered worlds beyond the imagining of most people. His courage, forceful personality, curious mind--and incredible accomplishments--would earn him the title "Alexander the Great." SCENE 1 Narrator NARRATOR. A pleader who draws narrs serviens narrator, a sergeant at law. Fleta, 1. 2, c. 37. Obsolete. A: As a boy, Alexander loves philosophy--the study of truth and existence. But he is also fascinated by soldiers, weapons, and the art of warfare. One day, at one of the camps of his father's army... Philip: Son, come see this warhorse I was given. Shall I sell him? Alexander: Why? He looks strong. Philip: But he throws every man who climbs on his back. Alexander: I can ride that horse! Philip: My best horsemen can't ride that monster! Let's see Let's See was a Canadian television series broadcast on CBC Television between September 6, 1952 to July 4, 1953. The segment, which had a running time of 15 minutes, was a puppet show with a character named Uncle Chichimus (voice of John Conway), which presented each you try. Narrator A: Alexander walks beside the horse, talking softly to it. Then he climbs on its back--and stays on! Philip's men cheer. Philip: How did you know what to do? Alexander: I noticed he was afraid of his shadow. So I walked him in a different direction. Philip: Son, you really think on your feet, don't you? That quality will serve you well. The horse is yours. Alexander: I'll name him Bucephalus and take him everywhere. SCENE 2 Narrator B: When Alexander is 20, his father is assassinated as·sas·si·nate tr.v. as·sas·si·nat·ed, as·sas·si·nat·ing, as·sas·si·nates 1. To murder (a prominent person) by surprise attack, as for political reasons. 2. (murdered). Alexander becomes King of the Macedonians. He soon faces a rebellion in the Greek city-state of Thebes. Alexander: Men, the Thebans have murdered our Macedonian commanders there. They are defying my rule. We ride for Thebes immediately! Narrator B: Alexander hopes that the Thebans will back down once he arrives with his army. When they don't, he decides that he has no choice but to punish them. Alexander orders the city destroyed. More than 6,000 Thebans are killed and the rest are sold into slavery. News of the harsh treatment quickly stops other rebellions. Philip's empire is now firmly in Alexander's hands. SCENE 3 Narrator C: Alexander has big dreams. His goal is to make the world Greek--under his rule. In 334 B.C., Alexander attacks the Persian Empire, Macedonia's vast neighbor to the east (see map). Persia's King Darius III Darius III (Darius Codomannus) (kŏdəmăn`əs), d. 330 B.C., king of ancient Persia (336–330 B.C.). A cousin of Artaxerxes III, he was raised to the throne by the eunuch Bagoas, who had murdered both Artaxerxes and his son, Arses; has a huge and powerful army. But Alexander is determined to win. Alexander: I will chase Darius down to the ends of the earth To the Ends of the Earth is a trilogy of novels by William Golding, consisting of Rites of Passage (1980), Close Quarters (1987), and Fire Down Below (1989). if I must! Narrator C: In 331 B.C., Alexander conquers Egypt, which the Persians had ruled harshly The Egyptian people rejoice, and crown Alexander pharaoh (god and king). He founds the city of Alexandria, which later becomes a famous center of learning. Alexander continues to chase Darius throughout the Middle East until some news arrives. Parmenion: Sir, Darius is Darius I (Darius the Great) (dərī`əs), d. 486 B.C., king of ancient Persia (521–486 B.C.), called also Dariavaush and Darius Hystaspis (after his father, Hystaspes or Vishtaspa). dead. He was assassinated by some of his nobles. Alexander: He's dead? Well, round up his killers. Parmenion: Why, sir? Are you going to reward them? Alexander: Of course not. They murdered a king! I'm going to put them to death. Then I will give Darius a funeral worthy of a great ruler. Narrator C: But some of the killers escape. Alexander: Prepare the army. We're going east. Callisthenes: Sir, we've conquered the mighty Persian Empire. Why should we go any farther? Alexander: Three reasons. First, the killers of Darius who escaped have started their own rebel movements. We have to go after them. Second, I want to see the land at the edge of the world and the ocean that borders it. And third, I won't rest until I have the largest empire in the world. SCENE 4 Narrator D: Alexander calls a meeting of his generals and Persian leaders. He wears a long purple (Bot.) a plant with purple flowers, supposed to be the Orchis mascula. See also: Long robe, in the Persian style. His men are shocked. Alexander: We have had a long, bitter war; let us now build a long, fruitful peace. We must find a way to live side by side as brothers--Greeks, Macedonians, and Persians. Let us share our cultures, pool our knowledge, and marry one another's sisters. We are family now and the whole. world is our home! Narrator D: Later, Ptolemy and Callisthenes meet with Alexander. Callisthenes: Sir, why did you dress in those disgusting Persian clothes? Alexander: To make my Persian subjects feel more comfortable. Ptolemy: And sir, you said that we should live together as brothers. We have never heard such crazy ideas. Callisthenes: Why did we bother to conquer the Persians if now we're going to act like them? Alexander: I need my army to conquer other lands. If Macedonians and Persians fight as one, my army will be bigger and stronger. We have a huge kingdom. The only way to keep it together is to give people some rights and some dignity. SCENE 5 Narrator E: Alexander's army marches east, across what are now Iran and Afghanistan. His soldiers cross deserts and climb the treacherous Hindu Kush Hindu Kush (hĭn`d  k sh), a high mountain system, extending c. mountains, where they are challenged by local warlords Warlords may refer to:
Alexander: This looks like a perfect location to build a new city to spread Greek culture. We'll build temples, marketplaces, and a school to train the young. What should I call it? Ptolemy: How about "Alexandria"? Alexander: Perfect! That will go with our last Alexandria [now Herat, Afghanistan], the Alexandria in Egypt, the Alexandria in Persia, and-- Ptolemy: And when we get to India, you can build another new city. Alexander: And call it Alexandria the Furthest. Ptolemy: The world won't soon forget the name of Alexander! SCENE 6 Narrator F: In 327 B.C., Alexander and his men reach the Indus River Indus River Trans-Himalayan river of southern Asia. It is one of the world's longest rivers, with a length of 1,800 mi (2,900 km). Its annual average flow of 272 billion cu yd (207 billion cu m) is twice that of the Nile. (in present-day Pakistan). Soldier 1: Look at all we've been through. Bitten by snakes, soaked by the rain, ravaged rav·age v. rav·aged, rav·ag·ing, rav·ages v.tr. 1. To bring heavy destruction on; devastate: A tornado ravaged the town. 2. by disease, and attacked by wild barbarians. I've had enough! Soldier 2: But Alexander has suffered, too. When we were in the desert, he would not drink water unless there was enough for all his men. And did you see him when we ran low on food? He was as skinny as everyone else. Soldier 3: Yes, but we're thousands of miles from home. If we keep going, we'll never see our families again. Soldier 2: Think of all the places we've seen, and adventures we've had. Soldier 1: Bah bah interj. Used to express impatient rejection or contempt. bah interj an expression of contempt or disgust ! I've had enough adventures for a lifetime. Soldier 2: Shh SHH Sonic Hedgehog SHH Super Hero Hype SHH Sacred Heart Hospital (Allentown, Pennsylvania) SHH Hickory Shad (FAO fish species code) SHH Sonic Hedge Hog SHH Shishmaref, Alaska ! It's the king! Alexander: Men, it's time It's Time was a successful political campaign run by the Australian Labor Party (ALP) under Gough Whitlam at the 1972 election in Australia. Campaigning on the perceived need for change after 23 years of conservative (Liberal Party of Australia) government, Labor put forward a to march east. Our next trip is to-- Soldiers: We won't go, sir. We've gone far enough. Alexander: But-- Ptolemy: I think they mean it, sir. Narrator F: Alexander agrees to return. Ptolemy tries to cheer him up. Ptolemy: Sir, don't be discouraged. Think of all the lands you've conquered. the things you have seen. Why, your majesty--why are you crying? In 10 years, Alexander and his men had marched and battled their way across roughly 20,000 miles. Alexander: It's just that... we've gone as far as we could--and there will be no more worlds to conquer. AFTERWORD af·ter·word n. See epilogue. They had crossed deserts and mountains and lived through winters so cold their shelters were buried by snow. They had built great cities and spread Greek culture everywhere. Alexander had forged an empire that stretched from Greece to the Indus River. But in the city of Babylon in June, 323 B.C., he fell ill. Malaria did what no spear or sword could do: It killed the king, then 33 years old. RELATED ARTICLE: Your Turn Think About It 1. How did Alexander preserve peace in his empire? 2. Alexander once said, "It is a lovely thing to live with courage, and die leaving an everlasting everlasting or immortelle (ĭm'ôrtĕl`), names for numerous plants characterized by papery or chaffy flowers that retain their form and often their color when dried and are used for winter bouquets and decorations. face." Do you agree? Explain. |
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