Netflix users have responded after the streaming service was accused of ‘turning’ Alexander the Great homosexual.
This week, the six-part docuseries Alexander: The Making of a God premiered.
It delves into ‘the amazing path of the young, exiled man determined to establish his place in the world following his father’s killing, soon unifying his country in a campaign of supremacy.
The series also depicts how Alexander’s ambition ‘led to his claim of the biggest Western empire in history, from Greece to part of India, in just under six years’.
By the age of 30, he had established one of history’s largest empires, ranging from Greece to northern India, and is largely regarded as one of the greatest and most effective military commanders.
However, one aspect in the series appears to have irritated some fans.
Posting a clip from the first episode which shows the historical figure kissing another man, X account End Wokeness said: ‘Netflix made a new documentary about Alexander The Great. Within the first 8 minutes, they turned him gay.’
Many, however, made it apparent that Alexander, who lived from 356 BC to 323 BC, is largely believed to have been LGBT.
‘To be fair in all likelihood due to the culture back then, he probably was,’ user The Britisher Paz49 commented on the original post.
‘I don’t think it was Netflix that made him gay,’ Damin Toell pointed out.
‘Except Alexander was bisexual, having lovers of both sexes. This has been known throughout history and is not breaking news,’ Joseph Jones added.
Meanwhile Yasmin Mary suggested those who were annoyed ‘crack open a history book’ to educate themselves.
All the way back in the 1st century, historian Quintus Curtius Rufus claimed, ‘Alexander scorned sensual pleasures with women’.
He also wrote: ‘He scorned sensual pleasures to such an extent that his mother was anxious lest he be unable to beget offspring.’
Alexander’s mother had even hired a famous Thessalian prostitute named Callixena to sleep with her son, but to no avail.
Although same-sex relationships were prevalent in ancient Greece, and having both male and female relationships was the norm, current representations of Alexander the Great nearly invariably depict him as heterosexual.
However, while he was married three times and had at least one known kid, the writings of ancient historians and researchers have resulted in contradicting current interpretations concerning his sexuality.
The Netflix series depicts him falling profoundly in love with his boyhood buddy and military leader Hephaestion, as well as an allusion to his relationship with one of his generals, Ptolemy.
In the show, Dr. Salima Ikram of the American University of Cairo also says that Hephaestion ‘really was not just a cherished companion, but perhaps [Alexander’s] greatest love’.
Alexander: The Making of a God is streaming on Netflix.
Source My Celebrity Life.