Tagged: julius caesar
Discussion: Your Favourite Historical Figure(s)
This is a topic that comes up frequently amongst historical fiction lovers, but as a lover of historical fiction as well as an extremely amateur historian, I just can’t get enough of it. My question for this week is: Who is/are your favourite historical figure(s)? Why?
Here are some of my favourite historical figures:
- Julius Caesar. His mixture of cunning on the battlefield combined with his impressive political savvy make me really appreciate him as both a man and the legend that he became. When you read about it, his life essentially reads like an epic movie and it’s just plain awesome (aside from the whole violent death part). Having the guts to order around the pirates holding you captive and seemingly always fighting with the smaller force and winning is pretty impressive.
- Hatshepsut. I’ve always had a soft spot for strong female leaders throughout history, and the Iron Lady of Egypt is one of my absolute favourites. She presided over a golden age with minimal military activity and a new resurgence in trade from her Punt expedition. And she did all this in an extremely sexist society where she was never, ever meant to take the throne. The more I read about her, the more I love her.
- Niccolo Machiavelli. This is probably not the most popular choice, but having read The Prince I can’t help but admire his cunning. His political theories ring true throughout history; having a background in Roman history certainly didn’t hurt his credibility. And he presents them in a very concise way without adding in too much fluff like many of his contemporaries.
I could go on and on, but that wouldn’t be fair. Now it’s your turn to answer the question: who is/are your favourite historical figure(s)? Why? How did they come to be your favourite(s)?
The Memoirs of Cleopatra by Margaret George
(Cover picture courtesy of Margaret George’s site.)
Bestselling novelist Margaret George brings to life the glittering kingdom of Cleopatra, Queen of the Nile, in this luch, sweeping, and richly detailed saga. Told in Cleopatra’s own voice, this is a mesmerizing tale of ambition, passion, and betrayl, which begins when the twenty-year-old queen seeks out the most powerful man in the world, Julius Caesar, and does not end until, having survived the assassination of Caesar and the defeat of the second man she loves, Marc Antony, she plots her own death rather than be paraded in triumph through the streets of Rome.
This really is a monster of a book. Compared to some books I’ve read it’s not that long, only 964 pages, but the pages are huge and that’s why it took me months to finish this book. But in the end it was completely worth it, which is why I chose it for my 500th book review!
The thing I liked most about The Memoirs of Cleopatra wasn’t even the characters; it was the writing itself. Margaret George has a beautiful, captivating style that brings history to life. I could smell the slums of Rome, feel the hot Egyptian air on my skin in the temple of Philae and could even smell the perfumes and the food. Her descriptions appeal to all five of the reader’s senses but she never really belabors the point. She finds that perfect balance between Cleopatra’s own introspective nature and describing the scene around her for readers.
The characters were, of course, fantastic. Cleopatra is far from perfect, believe me, but Margaret George paints her not as a goddess, man-eater or ruthless despot, but rather as a human being. She loves, fights, rages, cries, smiles, laughs and does all of the things that normal human beings would do, especially under the amount of pressure she had throughout her whole life. Cleopatra comes off as an amazing character and this is definitely one of the more memorable portrayals of the last Pharaoh that I’ve ever read (and I’ve read a lot).
Julius Caesar was pretty much as I expected but Marc Antony was interesting. In this version it’s clear that he does struggle from some depression and feelings of inadequacy as Cleopatra pushes him to do the things she’s always wanted to do. It’s like she’s trying to live through him as a man but Antony just can’t measure up, causing him to turn to alcohol. This type of Antony has been portrayed before, but never quite as sympathetically as Margaret George portrays him. In the end, despite his weaknesses, I felt sad when he took his own life.
Margaret George has very obviously done her research here. The historical details are accurate as well as the broader strokes of the events of the time. Of course she’s had to fill in some gaps with her own imagination, but she sticks as close to reality as possible. Honestly, you’d be hard-pressed to find a novel that is better researched but so well written.
Basically, this was worth the months of reading and I couldn’t have picked a better book for my 500th review milestone. If you like Cleopatra or ancient Egypt in general I can’t recommend this one enough.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
Fortune’s Favorites by Colleen McCullough
(Cover picture courtesy of Avon Romance.)
In a time of cataclysmic upheaval, a bold new generation of Romans vied for greatness amid the disintegrating remnants of their beloved Republic. They were the chosen…and the cursed—blessed with wealth and privileged yet burdened by the dictates of destiny in a savage struggle for power that would leave countless numbers crushed and destroyed. But there was one who would tower above them all—a brilliant and beautiful boy whose ambition was unparalleled, whose love was legend, and whose glory was Rome’s: a boy they would one day call “Caesar.”
While Sulla features heavily in the first part of Fortune’s Favorites, make no mistake: this is the story of Gaius Julius Caesar and his brutal early years. You know, Colleen McCullough’s portrayal of Caesar is the most sympathetic I’ve ever come across and yet he really does some horrible things. He crucifies all those pirates (but broke all their legs except the leader so they’d die quicker) and was utterly ruthless in Spartacus’ revolt as he served under Marcus Crassus. At the same time I had difficulty not shedding at least a few tears at his pure grief when his aunt Julia and his wife Cinnilla died.
Sulla is fully developed as a character now; his story is clearly done by the time he gives a gigantic middle finger to Rome at the time of his retirement. That’s when we really get into the Julius Caesar chronicles and things start to get a little more hopeful. Sulla was always such a ruthless guy but out of all the characters you couldn’t help but cheer for him once Gaius Marius went crazy. It was sad to see him go downhill over such a long period of time.
So it was a nice break to see Caesar finally start to succeed in life. His bargaining with Nicomedes of Bithynia for a navy, the sheer gall he had in facing the pirates when he was captured and his strategies during the Third Servile War all seemed so satisfying, so realistic because Colleen McCullough really put a lot of effort into his character. There are so many ways a sympathetic portrayal of Julius Caesar can go wrong (mainly the fact that hey, he did some pretty awful things) but in Fortune’s Favorites you can’t help but love him. Even his ruthless streak.
As I mentioned in my review of The Grass Crown, Colleen McCullough has a ridiculously addictive writing style. This book is 1004 pages long and I read it over the course of just four days, sneaking in a few minutes here and there. Considering how busy I’ve been lately that’s quite an achievement and a testament to how much I really enjoy her writing. She makes you really feel like you’re there in the ancient world along with all these historical figures you’ve read about for years. (In my case, anyway.)
Really, if you haven’t picked up Colleen McCullough’s Masters of Rome series, you need to start now. The crazy page counts are worth it.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
The Grass Crown by Colleen McCullough
(Cover picture courtesy of The Incurable Bluestocking.)
Throughout the Western world, great kingdoms have fallen and despots lay crushed beneath the heels of Rome’s advancing legions. But now internal rebellion threatens the stability of the mighty Republic. An aging, ailing Gaius Marius, heralded conqueror of Germany and Numidia, longs for that which was prophesied many years before: an unprecedented seventh consulship of Rome. It is a prize to be won only through treachery and with blood, pitting Marius against a new generation of assassins, power-seekers and Senate intriguers—and setting him at odds with the ambitious, tormented Lucius Cornelius Sulla, once Marius’s most trusted right-hand man, now his most dangerous rival.
It goes without saying that we get to see things from the POVs of our old favourite characters Marius and Sulla but I for one welcomed the introduction of other characters. Livia Drusa was a fantastic female character and her situation really gave me more insight into the plight of aristocratic women in Rome. And of course who can forget the precocious young Gaius Julius Caesar, who is feared by Marius because of old Martha’s prophecy that he would surpass his uncle? As with how it actually happened, Marius’s declining health and mental state led to Sulla’s meteoric rise up the ranks of the Roman hierarchy. The way Colleen McCullough chose to tell the story was very telling: Marius, whose star is fading, receives very little page time while Sulla takes the main stage.
While I can see where this new expanded set of characters might confuse some readers, if you’ve read The First Man in Rome you’ll have no trouble following the many intrigues of The Grass Crown. The Social War is sort of the main war in this book and it’s certainly not simplistic. What fascinated me the most was the different approaches the many Senators took to the war and how they proposed to stop the Italian rebellion and discourage future rebellions. Pompey Strabo Carnifex, true to his name (‘Pompey Cross-Eyed Butcher’ in English) was a truly horrible character that demonstrated the worst the patrician class had to offer. There are just so many different, complex characters that if I start on them now this review will turn into an essay.
In essence the characters drive the story, whether they’re Roman or not since we get to see things from all points of view. The plot is not fast-paced by any stretch of the imagination and yet Colleen McCullough’s writing is just too good to put down. She truly cares about historical accuracy and her writing immerses you in the cutthroat world of ancient Rome. From the halls of the Senate to the blood-soaked streets of Rome all the way to the far east of the empire, you’ll feel like you’re really there with the characters watching the events play out. And that, my friends, is a special talent very few writers possess.
With the end being such a cliffhanger I had no choice but to dive straight into the next book, Fortune’s Favorites. Truly, Colleen McCullough has an addictive writing style.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
Short Story: Caesar’s Ambassador by Alex Johnston
(Cover picture courtesy of The Masquerade Crew.)
“He was a salesman of Rome. Honor him.”
Apologies to you Gladiator fans. Marcus Mettius may or may not have been a trader in real life. In Julius Caesar’s masterpiece, Caesar’s Commentaries: On The Gallic War and On The Civil War, he only mentions Marcus twice, once to point out that he sent him as ambassador to the German king Ariovistus because Marcus “…had shared the hospitality of Ariovistus.” Sounds like a salesman to me.
Marcus should be honored. He played an important role in one of the greatest historical dramas of all time, Caesar’s conquest of Gaul.
Caesar sent his Gallic interpreter, Gaius Valerius Troucillus, and Marcus to act as ambassadors to Ariovistus. They were both taken captive, and Gaius at least was threatened with being burned at the stake (it’s not clear from reading the Commentaries whether Marcus was also so threatened). Caesar goes on and on about Gaius, writing that he is a “young man of the highest courage and accomplishments.” And when Caesar personally rescues him on the battlefield he writes that this act “afforded Caesar no less pleasure than the victory itself; because he saw a man of the first rank in the province of Gaul, his intimate acquaintance and friend, rescued from the hand of the enemy, and restored to him, and …” Marcus? Oh yeah, “M. Mettius, also, was found and brought back to him [Caesar].
In my opinion, Julius Caesar does not give Marcus his due, so I filled in the gaps. Join him as he outwits a German witch, tells Julius Caesar (and others) stupid salesman jokes, parties with Gauls and slaves, watches Caesar’s troops freak out at a bar, and much, much more. He is a soldier of a different kind – a man who lives by his wits. Honor him.
Caesar’s Ambassador was certainly not what I expected, but that’s definitely in a good way. I expected the usual dry historical retelling of a minor character, not the hilarious escapades of a snarky, sarcastic salesman who played a part in the conquest of Gaul but never really got his due.
I think Alex Johnston intentionally used modern phrases and attitudes to make Marcus a bit easier to understand for modern readers. He does this with great humour as Marcus tells dumb blonde jokes, salesman jokes, drinks and marches along with Caesar’s army around Gaul. Marcus may have found himself a diplomat by accident, but I still love that Alex Johnston made him a salesman at heart. His take on the German situation as he and his friend Gaius are in chains waiting for a soothsayer to determine whether they should live or die is hilarious. There are some serious moments in the story, but overall the tone is humorous.
Alex Johnston brings historical figures like Marcus and Julius Caesar to life in his short story and makes them just a little more human. Marcus is, of course, a salesman at heart. Caesar is a soldier’s best friend but also reveals his ruthless streak to Marcus, who is both chummy with Caesar and wary of him. It’s hard to get much characterization into a short story, but Alex Johnston certainly succeeded in making all of his characters three dimensional.
The plot doesn’t fly along at breakneck speed, but neither does it drag along. With lots of humour along the way as well as fascinating historical details, you can’t go wrong with Caesar’s Ambassador. There are some modern phrases Marcus uses throughout the story, but I suspect that was deliberate on the part of the author. Overall, Caesar’s Ambassador is just a fun historical romp that fills in some of the gaps in the life of a bit player of Roman politics.
I give this short story 5/5 stars.