People in Greece are up in arms over the portrayal of Alexander the Great in a Netflix series depicting the Macedonian king in a romantic relationship with his friend Hephaestion.
Alexander: The Making of a God stars Buck Braithwaite in a series of reenactments, following the style of a documentary. Six episodes dramatize key events and attempt to summarize his desire to conquer the world.
However, as a romantic encounter between Alexander and Haphaestion unfolds, Greece’s culture minister has criticized Netflix for “extremely poor quality fiction” that is “full of historical inaccuracies.”
Lina Mendoni has joined a chorus of voices in Greece who have criticized the streaming giant’s series, with a Greek newspaper blaming a previous adaptation of the story of Alexander the Great for starting a “propaganda campaign” that Alexander was homosexual.
The Guardian reports a commentary piece in Eleftheros Typos accused Oliver Stone’s 2004 film starring Colin Farrell and Angelina Jolie of perpetuating the idea that the Macedonian king had homosexual relationships.
Netflix’s new series about Alexander the Great, Alexander: The Making of a God, has been criticized by Greek politicians and newspapers
Dimitris Natsiou, leader of the far-right Orthodox Niki party, said in the Greek parliament that the new Netflix series is “deplorable, unacceptable and unhistorical.”
He added that there is “no basis” for assuming that Alexander the Great was homosexual.
In response, Mendoni said the director’s style reflected “sloppiness” and added that ancient texts never revealed any sense that the relationship between the Macedonian king and Hephaestion exceeded “the limits of friendship.”
The series explores a romantic relationship between the Macedonian king and the man often described as his ‘best friend’ Hephaestion
However, the Culture Minister added that the concept of love has always been “broad and multi-dimensional” throughout the centuries, stressing that modern society cannot impose its norms on the conventions of ancient civilizations.
Despite criticism of the show, she insisted that the Greek government would not take action against the streaming giant as it would be ‘unconstitutional’.
She noted that the Greek constitution protects “freedom of art” and that carrying out such an action would amount to “censorship.”
“The inspiration of artists, the personal interpretation and judgment of individuals cannot, of course, be subject to a regulatory regime and control, nor can they be governed or dragged into the courts,” she said.
“Instead, it is judged and judged by each of us, by the international community. That’s how Netflix is judged.’
Historians have long debated Alexander the Great’s sexuality, which is never specified in ancient texts.
One piece of text that is sometimes taken as a sign of homosexuality is the text by the Roman historian Quintus Curtius Rufus, which states that Alexander’s mother was concerned that her son seemed to have no romantic interest in women.
The text reads: ‘He disdained sensual pleasures to such an extent that his mother feared that he would not be able to produce offspring.’
Writings suggest that Alexander’s mother brought him a woman, Callixena, and asked him to sleep with her, but he refused.
Of Alexander’s relationship with Hephaestion, Rufus once wrote that he was “the dearest of all the king’s friends” who “shared all his secrets.”
When Hephaestion died, Alexander is said to have gone into a period of deep mourning and not eaten for several days. He then held a funeral for him in Babylon.
However, the king was married to three different women throughout his life, and the Greek philosopher Plutarch once stated that Alexander had sex with one woman, Barsine, after being won over by her beauty and love of literature.
FEMAIL has contacted Netflix for comment.