Alexander quote in "Die Hard"
Todd F. Maxman
The bad guy in the first "Die Hard" movie says while looking over the
assets of the mega-corporation he is about to steal from:
"And when Alexander saw the breadth of his domain, he wept for there were
no more worlds to conquer."
.... He concludes this with: "The benefits of a classical education."
Well, my classical education is leading me nowhere in finding out where
this quote about Alexander comes from. I've looked through my Thuycidides
and can't find anything close.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Todd
--
Todd F. Maxman
tfma...@interaccess.com
Chris Camfield
Todd F. Maxman (tfma...@interaccess.com) writes:
> The bad guy in the first "Die Hard" movie says while looking over the
> assets of the mega-corporation he is about to steal from:
>
> "And when Alexander saw the breadth of his domain, he wept for there were
> no more worlds to conquer."
>
>
> .... He concludes this with: "The benefits of a classical education."
>
> Well, my classical education is leading me nowhere in finding out where
> this quote about Alexander comes from. I've looked through my Thuycidides
> and can't find anything close.
Well, seeing as Thucydides wrote decades before Alexander, I wouldn't be
surprised. *Arrian* might be a better place to look...
Chris
Robert Stonehouse
ab...@FreeNet.Carleton.CA (Chris Camfield) wrote:
In the Anabasis, 5.26-29, Arrian tells how Alexander wanted to cross
the river Hyphasis (Beas, east of Amritsar: it feeds the Sutlej) but
his army refused to follow him and he reluctantly agreed to turn
back. The story of 'no more worlds to conquer' must come from one of
the romantic writers. After all, Alexander, who was there, must have
known better than anyone else that he was not at the end of the
world.
ew...@bcs.org.uk
Todd F. Maxman
> >> "And when Alexander saw the breadth of his domain, he wept for there were
> >> no more worlds to conquer."
> >Well, seeing as Thucydides wrote decades before Alexander, I wouldn't be
> >surprised. *Arrian* might be a better place to look...
Oops, of course it was Arrian - ugh, mud on my face. Yes, I did look
through Arrian and could not find anything like the quote.
> The story of 'no more worlds to conquer' must come from one of
> the romantic writers. After all, Alexander, who was there, must have
> known better than anyone else that he was not at the end of the
> world.
Romantic writers seems logical. I've looked through Shakespeare and can't
find it either. Do you have any starting point for the Romantics? Hunches?
Thanks loads for the help.
David Turrell
>The bad guy in the first "Die Hard" movie says while looking over the
>assets of the mega-corporation he is about to steal from:
>
>"And when Alexander saw the breadth of his domain, he wept for there were
>no more worlds to conquer."
>
>.... He concludes this with: "The benefits of a classical education."
>
>Well, my classical education is leading me nowhere in finding out where
>this quote about Alexander comes from. I've looked through my Thuycidides
>and can't find anything close.
>
>Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Look at this quote from Plutarch's _Morals_.
Alexander wept when he heard from Anaxarchus that there was an
infinite number of worlds ... 'Do you not think it a matter
worthy of lamentation that when there is such a vast multitude
of them, we have not yet conquered one?'
It expresses exactly the opposite sentiment, but in similar words,
which suggests that the Hans Grubor dialog in the movie comes from a
misreading of it.
--
David Turrell dTh San Francisco
"We will refight the old wars, and again
the great Achilles will be sent to Troy." -Virgil
Moiner
> Look at this quote from Plutarch's _Morals_.
>
> Alexander wept when he heard from Anaxarchus that there was an
> infinite number of worlds ... 'Do you not think it a matter
> worthy of lamentation that when there is such a vast multitude
> of them, we have not yet conquered one?'
>
> It expresses exactly the opposite sentiment, but in similar words,
> which suggests that the Hans Grubor dialog in the movie comes from a
> misreading of it.
...and that Hans is conflating it with the story that when Alexander cut
the Gordian Knot, thereby winning all kingdoms, he wept because his
conquering work was done.
--
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Robert Stonehouse
tfma...@interaccess.com (Todd F. Maxman) wrote:
>> >> "And when Alexander saw the breadth of his domain, he wept for there were
>> >> no more worlds to conquer."
>> The story of 'no more worlds to conquer' must come from one of
>> the romantic writers. After all, Alexander, who was there, must have
>> known better than anyone else that he was not at the end of the
>> world.
>
>Romantic writers seems logical. I've looked through Shakespeare and can't
>find it either. Do you have any starting point for the Romantics? Hunches?
There was a substantial medieval 'Romance of Alexander' literature.
It seems to have begun from Cleitarchus of Alexandria (c. 280 BC),
now lost, whose work is now represented by Diodorus Siculus book 17
(first century BC) and Quintus Curtius Rufus (first or second
century AD?).
Plutarch's Life of Alexander (parallel to Julius Caesar) uses
sources of all kinds (there was an anti-Alexander tradition too).
Among his Moralia there is also an essay on The Fortune of
Alexander.
Arrian's opening paragraph makes it clear there was a good deal of
romantic fiction in his day, of the kind that would have been
beneath the dignity of a king like Ptolemy to write.
ew...@bcs.org.uk
lali
Todd F. Maxman wrote:
>
>
> "And when Alexander saw the breadth of his domain, he wept for there were
> no more worlds to conquer."
>
>
>
> It's from Plutarch's "Life of Alexander the Great". (oi bioi paralleloi)