O'Brien/Alexander

[dean]

Hello,My reading this summer, amongst other things, has been "The Invisible Enemy- a biography"- by Maxwell O'Brien.I had mixed expectations of the book especially after having the pleasure of discussing a few points with O'Brien himself on this very forum two months ago. I am sure Janet will remember.Well, the angle- that of Dionysus; drinking- alcohol abuse and the crisis it brought about in Alexander's life has been fascinating to read about.Midway through the book the concept of a metamorphosis is introduced to distinguish the Alexander of 334 from the Alexander of 324- which I guess is true, although not in my opinion exclusively due to the fruit of the vine.The book is quite a nice biography because it is all underscored with fragments from two works of antiquity- the Iliad- and The Bachae by Euripides.Just today in fact it answered a question I was going to put to yourselves: whose is the face on the cuirass on the mosaic?O'Brien is discussing the hero Perseus- who it is mentioned gave his name to the Persians- and bonded east with west- the hero was the killer of the gorgon whose face appears on the armour. Maybe to put fear into the Persians. Alexander sacrificed to the god of fear on the eve of Guagamela.The book is I think very balanced because he includes a nice series of insights that I had never considered and interesting analogies along the way that had neither ever crossed my mind.All in all a good book but I don't think that alcohol really was the only element that would have influenced his behaviour especially after becoming Great King- regarding more megalomanic behaviour.Best regards,
Dean.

[davej]

Hi Dean,
Welcome back. I think the gorgon head was fairly common to ancient armour and shields so I would not make too much of that link with Perseus. I agree that booze may not have been primarily responsible for killing Alexander. I am exploring DKA as a possible cause. I have some work to do but will share with everybody when I am further down the line.Dj

[jan]

Hello,Yes, I do remember. I enjoyed the time that John took in using passages from the Iliad to verify the theme running through Alexander's mind. It reminds me a bit of King David and his psalms. I thought that the book was very pertinent, especially his description of the scene of the Battle of Issus.We match!Your review is excellent and I hope others will read his book. I agree that wine is important in the so called dissolution or dissipation of Alexander's character, but not the only factor. The hardships which he and his men faced were so teriffic that the wine used as a sedative probably helped to ease the pain.Battlescars, disappointment in the amount of treachery within the camp, and pure exhaustion probably aided in the change in Alexander. I believe losing his horse, his dog, his child, his best friend would naturally cause one to need a drink! (The child that Michael Woods mentions as Roxanne's firstborn.)
Give the guy a break!I really am impressed with Professor O'Brien's work. It is a great honor to have talked with him.Jan

[dean]

Hello,and thanks Dave and Janet. I look forward, Dave, to hearing what you find out.Another question is regarding O'Brien's treatment of the Philotas trial. One point that I can't quite piece together is the fact this in this book it is mentioned that Alexander offers Philotas the chance to speak in his native dialect- Macedonian- at the trial stating that Alexander knew full well that Philotas was uneasy with this dialect. Then using the fact that he declines the offer against him in his indictment.The impression that I get is that O'Brien presents an Alexander wanting to find Philotas guilty at any cost. And even links it to an earlier humiliation where Philotas was present while Philip admonished Alexander for his behaviour in the botched Pixodorus affair. Thoughts?Take Care,
Dean.

[jan]

Hello Dean,Yes, I agree with your summation about the fact that Alexander was determined to get him at any cost. To me, it reminds me of the time when King Louis XIV did the same thing to his minister of finance, the famous Monsieur Foucquet. I see definite similarities between the two trials.However, in Arthur Weigall's book, Olympia had warned Alexander about giving too much treasury and worldly goods to his generals. I believe that she was a woman with great insights despite her reputation. She complained that he was allowing them to believe them bigger and greater than he, but he did not really heed her warning as he should have. And as with Louis XIV, whose mother Anne of Austria, was behind his learning of the treachery of Monsieur Foucquet, both kings have to make the decision to resolve the case to save their own kingdom. Monsieur Foucquet also had influential friends whose sympathies were with him as did both Parmenion and Philotas have loyal supporters who nursed their grievances against Alexander.The main theme of wine drunkeness because of the god Dionysus as the cause of Alexander's dissipation remains secondary to the theme of the Iliad as the cause for Alexander's behaviour. He still tried to be just like Achilles. In my opinion, I will remember the stanzas from the Iliad more than the attempt to prove drunkness and dissipation.A really great point!Jan

[Tre]

I am curious as to what would make you think Alexander suffered from DKA? I don't see evidence for this in the histories outside of the sweet smell of his body and breath likely more caused by his insistence on being clean than anything else.Regards,Tre

[davej]

All in time Tre, but thats is the first clue. I believe the wound suffered in India was not his lung but in fact his Pancreas or gall blader. This trauma could have triggered it. I have heard the argument before about his cleanliness being the cause of his sweet smelling flesh and also the allusion that it was a refernece ti his divinity. The symptoms he suffered prior to his death after a huge bender are consistent to a great degree with DKA. As I said it needs more work and I only have so much time. Presently I am concerned with working out drilling proceedure for the Sarissa Re enactment, so evrything else is on the back burner.

[marcus]

Hi Dave,Maybe I'm being especially dense, but what's DKA?CheersMarcus

[davej]

No Marcus you aren't dense, I would'nt expect most people to know. It is Diabetic Keto Acidosis. Symptoms include excessive thirst, Hunger, Confussion and Rapid breathing. The sufferer goes into a coma and dies. One of the most pronounce signs of the disease is sweet smelling breath and flesh. The theory is in its early days yet. So Dont expect anything much. Plus as you know I am not a doctor. I did however work in Pathology some years ago and I still know some people. I was'nt being snooty or smart arse I just being lazy in not explaining this in my post. It really related.

[dean]

Thanks Marcus for answering the question I was too embarrassed to ask!!Regards,
Dean.