With this post, I conclude my read through of Plutarch’s Life of Alexander over on Tumblr, here are the links to Chapters 71-77.
- For links to the other posts in this series, click here
Chapter Seventy-One - The Mutiny at Opis
Chapter Seventy-Two - Hephaestion’s Death and Alexander’s Grief
Chapter Seventy-three - Portents of Alexander’s Death
Chapter Seventy-Four - The Antipatrids’ Alleged Rôle in Alexander’s Death
Chapter Seventy-Five - Superstition and Heavy Drinking
Alexander’s Letter to Cleomenes
Chapter Seventy-Six - Alexander’s Last Eleven Days, a day-by-day account
Chapter Seventy-Seven - Was Alexander Poisoned?
The Second Achilles 
I like very much the way you deal with Alexander grief and its psychological implications. However in chap. 75 you said: “Alexander could have been inspired to honour Hephaestion by achieving greater things but it was not to be”. Yes,he didn’t succeed, but he planned the conquest of Arabia, don’t you remember? Nevertheless I agree with you when you said: “he [Alexander] did begin to die in October 324. He too, after all, was Hephaestion.” Therefore you are right to think “that his ‘recovery’ was at best only partial and more likely a sham.” I never read such analysis so well expressed before: I think you are definitely right!
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