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Tusculan Disputations · Character

Alexander the Great

Macedonian conqueror; often cited as example of ambition and mortality.

minor

Also known as Alexander

First appearance: tusculan disputations

Alexander the Great's tie to Diogenes the Stoic is one of the pressures that moves Tusculan Disputations—worth meeting in the text, not only on a cast list.

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With Diogenes the Stoic (social): Alexander the Great famously encountered Diogenes the Cynic (often conflated with Diogenes the Stoic in later tradition), with Diogenes famously telling Alexander to stop blocking his…

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Character Web

9 connections

A slice of how Alexander the Great sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

DTDiogenes the S…AGAgamemnonSOSocratesPOPhilo of LarissaZOZeno of CitiumATAlexander the Great

Relationship types

  • Social
  • Other

Character groups

  • Philosophers and conqueror
  • Diverse historical and philosophical figures
  • Stoic and Roman exemplars

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book.

SetupBreaking pointAftermathClimax
  • Setup
  • Breaking point
  • Aftermath
  • Closing

In this excerpt, the emotional and psychological peak occurs as Cicero shifts from cataloging Rome’s political…

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Relationships

Relationship notes

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