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1. To whom does Keegan compare Alexander the Great in Chapter One? What is the outcome of this comparison?

Keegan compares Alexander to Napoleon, Attila the Hun, Genghis Khan, Prince Charles, Hitler and others. While all of those military leaders made great strides and accomplishments throughout their careers, none can match Alexander the Great. Even those that came close had the benefit of tools and information not available to the Macedonian that covered several continents beginning at age sixteen.

2. Describe Alexander's parents' personalities and relationship.

Alexander was the eldest son of Philip II of Macedonia and Olympias. Philip was a physically intense man. Philip had been married three times by the time he married Olympias and would marry another three times afterward, casting Olympias and the other wives aside as he tired of them. Olympias and Philip were a good match - passionate, loving, and committed by choice, not by an arranged marriage, as was common in that day and age. The author states that the couple was the sort that would not put up with such nonsense and would act according to their own desires, despite tradition and family wishes. Olympias was not demure or inexperienced, having been married once before. After the relationship began to fall apart due to Philip's preoccupation with politics and war, Olympias stayed on to raise Alexander.

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