Netflix has sparked a debate over “historical inaccuracies” after the release of its documentary surrounding the life of King of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon, Alexander the Great.
Alexander: The Making of a God explores the path of the young, exiled man who was determined to find his place in the world following his father’s assassination.
It also looks at how his strong ambition led to the largest Western empire in history, and by the age of 30, having created one of the largest empires in history.
He was and is still considered to be one of history’s greatest and most successful military commanders.
However, as the series was quickly watched by many, there was one detail which irked some viewers – his sexuality.
Whilst there is no concrete evidence regarding Alexander the Great’s sexuality, same-sex relations were common in ancient Greece, and the Netflix docu-series decided to depict him as homosexual.
Alexander the Great docu-series came under fire
NETFLIX
The Netflix series shows him deeply in love with his childhood friend and military commander Hephaestion, along with the allusion to relations with one of his generals Ptolemy.
One X user was less than impressed that Netflix had made the creative decision about the commander’s sexuality despite there being no concrete evidence.
They noted: “Netflix made a new documentary about Alexander the Great. Within the first 8 minutes, they turned him gay.” (sic)
However, some fans came to Netflix’s defence and suggested Alexander the Great was widely suspected to have been gay, including one who argued: “I hate wokeness but hear me out: there’s a good chance he was at least bisexual because, well, that was kind of the Greek thing to do.”
But the original poster hit back: “It’s still unproven speculation and should definitely not be shoved into the first 8 minutes.”
Alexander the Great viewers were left furious with the show
NETFLIX
Others also slammed the decision by show bosses, with another critic wading into the row: “If he was bisexual they didn’t show him at all with women or even mentioned it.
“It's also irrelevant in the story of Alexander in terms of his life but they want it front row and centre,” added another.
Alexander The Great was married three times and was rumored to have sired a number of illegitimate children, but of his three marriages, he only fathered one child, Alexander IV, with Roxana of Bactria.
Elsewhere 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”.
This isn’t the first time that Netflix has come under fire for its research and depiction of historical events.
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Alexander the Great is a six part docu-series
NETFLIX
The most recent was its portrayal of Cleopatra in the four-part docu-series Queen Cleopatra with many voicing their wishes to “preserve” her history.
Many also claimed that Cleopatra should be portrayed “accurately” as a way of respecting their culture and heritage.
The series Vikings: Valhalla was also criticised for inaccurately describing King Yaroslav as Russian over Kyivan Rus.