The Corruption of Alexander the Great Collapsed his Aspiration Exceeded and misused power destroys its possessor. Already in power, Alexander still sought more significant power. During his childhood, his father's role as emperor of all of Greece inspired Alexander's desire and pursuit of power. Moreover, after his father's death, his hunger for power increased. He managed to unite the Persian Empire by continually conquering other countries. After Darius was stabbed by his man, Alexander was no longer content with his throne as the king of Macedon, monarch of Greek and Persia, so he started to conquer more regardless of his people's willingness. His empire was already cracked during his reign and immediately collapsed after he died like a …show more content…
He loved power, which came from the culture of the time, and his personality, which formed during his childhood. However, because he misused the desire for power, this power corrupted him: He became ruthless and used extreme methods to control his men. After he tasted the sweetness of power, he started scheming and murdering to secure absolute power. His people disagreed with him, which led to the final corruption of his kingdom. His love of power was heavily influenced by his upbringing. The values and myths of ancient Greece advocating power and his upbringing environment greatly influenced Alexander's perception of power. Since childhood, he had an almost crazy desire for power: "As a lad, I was jealous of my father, fearing that he would achieve glory on such a scale as would leave none for me, I have never feared anything, save that mischance that would prevent me from fulfilling my destiny" (Pressfield 1). The only thing he was afraid of was losing power and having no …show more content…
Excessive pursuit of power can lead to bad results in the end. After the rulers gained unlimited power, they generally built monumental buildings for themselves or their loved ones: for example, Pericles in Athens spent much money to build the Parthenon, and Alexander was no exception, "He planned vast and impracticable projects: a mausoleum for Philip that matched the largest Egyptian pyramid, six grandiose temples at the cost of 1,500 talents each" (Green 10). This mausoleum and the temples cost a lot of money and put the people who are now in a happy life in labor. If he could put his power into making people's lives more comfortable and strengthening the country's management system, his empire would not disintegrate quickly after his death. Alexander just did not care about the future of his kingdom, in addition to not truly ruling it while he was still alive. On his deathbed, he made the allegation that he had no intention of creating a government or an heir to his throne. Instead, he was still concerned about conquering: "But above all, he was planning, even on his deathbed, for further conquests: of Arabia, and then of North Africa westward as far as the Pillars of Heracles near what is now Gibraltar, and back by way of Spain and South Italy" (Green 10). His own power was everything to Alexander. His entire kingdom fell apart when he died, and his territory was split up into new kingdoms. In a