Comparing Great Lives: Alexander and Caesar

Plutarch paired Alexander and Caesar deliberately - he saw in them the same pattern: extraordinary genius, unlimited ambition, early death. This lesson uses Plutarch's famous preface about his method: "I write lives, not histories... sometimes a matter of less moment, an expression or a jest, informs us better of their characters than the most famous sieges." Students compare the two Lives: both showed early signs of greatness, conquered empires, showed mercy to enemies, changed as power grew, and died young. But Alexander demanded worship as a god; Caesar refused the crown. Alexander killed friends in rage; Caesar pardoned enemies who then killed him.