Fire from Heaven (Masterplots II: British and Commonwealth Fiction Series)
At a glance:
- Author: Mary Renault
- First Published: 1969
- Type of Work: Historical novel
- Time of Work: 351-336
- Setting: Macedon, the Greek peninsula, Athens
- Principal Characters: Alexander, Phllip, Olymplas, Hephaistlon, Ptolemy, Antlpatros, Arlstotle, Lyslmachos
- Genres: Long fiction, Historical fiction
- Subjects: Family or family life, Philosophy or philosophers, Tradition, Mythology or myths, Superstition, Religion, War, Kings, queens, or royalty, Ethics, Military life or service, Soldiers, Greek or Roman times, Biography, Greece or Greek people, Hellenism
- Locales: Athens, ancient, Greece, ancient, Macedon
The Novel
Fire from Heaven is a historical Bildungsroman depicting the career of the boy who was to go down in history as Alexander the Great from the ages of five to twenty, when he succeeded his father, Philip, as king of Macedon. As the novel opens, the child Alexander wakes to find a snake in his bed. Thinking that it is Glaucos, his mother Olympias’ sacred snake, he slips out of bed to return it. It is not, however, Glaucos but a larger snake; they recall the legend of the young Hercules, the patron god of Achilles, one of Olympias’ ancestors. Olympias tells Alexander...
[The entire page is 2558 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
Navigate
See Also
