Alcibiades Hero or Zero

Alcibiades, Hero or Zero

Alcibiades was an Athenian aristocrat living between 450 and 404 B.C. And the last member of the famous Athenian family, the Alcmaeonidae. The fact that he was born in a privileged environment provided him with the opportunity to be properly educated and to develop a sense of grace that influenced most people he interacted with to appreciate his personality. He was a very ambitious man, but his interest in emphasizing his superiority in front of his adversaries meant that he gathered a lot of enemies throughout his lifetime. He expressed appreciation toward politics at an early age and got actively involved in a series of political dealings, this persuading numerous notable individuals living contemporary to him to turn their interest toward his personae. Even with the fact that he was a controversial character and that he was reputed for his tendency to focus more on rationality than on ethics, Acibiades can be categorized as a hero as a result of his genius and because of his interest in fighting for Athens.

Alcibiades rose as a result of denouncing Nicias, a representative of Sparta, who, in spite of his peace-loving attitude, was preventing Athenians from focusing on their cultural values.

2. While he managed to trick Spartans in a series of occasions, the fact that Alcibiades did so in order to provide Athenians with the chance to understand that they could play an important role in restructuring their society makes him less condemnable. His plans to lead the Sicilian expedition, for example, are intriguing and are likely to have ended in success if he were to lead the expedition. Even with this, the fact that he met resistance on a series of occasions influenced him to feel less patriotic and to use his intelligence for the benefit of whoever was willing to pay more.

Alcibiades' dealings with Tisaphernes also contributed to emphasizing the love he felt for Athens.

3. Alcibiades certainly brought reform to the idea of politics and he was a clever military tactician. He was effective in his thinking because he was able to understand when it was right to ally particular groups and when it was right to protect his interests.

4. Even with the fact that history as a whole fails to emphasize the important role he played in world history, Alcibiades was certainly a hero when considering his concern in protecting Athens. Even after the Athenians had acted in disagreement with his thinking and banished him he was still able to acknowledge the fact that Athens was his home and eventually made it possible for his countrymen to survive a series of battles.