Jeff Buser - Betrayals

Betrayals

In a span of less than a year:
Darius is betrayed by Bessus.
Bessus is betrayed by Spitamenes.
Parmenion is betrayed by Alexander.

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Lyrics

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A word of explanation:

The title has a double meaning beyond the obvious surface context.
But first, the story behind those dramatic personal betrayals:

After consolidating his position in the heart of Persia, Alexander resumes
his pursuit of Darius. However, Darius is no longer in control of his
army, and is in fact being held hostage by Bessus. Bessus kills Darius
when Alexander gets close, mortally wounding him and leaving him to
bleed out slowly so he will still be alive when Alexander finds him, and
then proclaims himself Persian king. Before dying, Darius remarks he is
glad he will not die alone, perhaps a belated admission he considered
Alexander his equal. Alexander gives him a full military funeral and
buries him with honors next to his Achaemenid predecessors.

The lingering resentment caused by Alexander's acceptance of the
Siwa oracle's declaration that Alexander is the son of Zeus starts
to smolder even hotter as Alexander declares himself the legitimate
successor to Darius, accepts the Persian title "King of Kings", and
adopts the Persian custom of requiring those in his service to kiss his
hand or prostrate themselves before him. As that resentment reaches
a fever pitch, Alexander is informed that Philotas, son of Parmenion
and commander of the Companions, and Demetris, one of Alexander’s
personal bodyguards, are involved in a conspiracy against his life. This
must have given Alexander flashbacks of his father's assassination.

Among the accusers are supporters of Alexander's new policies, including
Hephaestion, Craterus and Coenus, who is married to Philotas’ sister.
Philotas and Demetris are court-martialed and executed. Parmenion is
in no way implicated in the conspiracy, but his son was just put to death
and Alexander realizes a pissed-off Parmenion would be a serious threat,
since he is second-in-command of the army, stationed near Alexander's
treasury and on his supply lines. Alexander sends three officers on racing
camels, across the desert by the most direct route possible. They reach
Parmenion before he hears about Philotas, and stab him to death on the spot.

Alexander then tracks down Bessus in Bactria (modern Afghanistan) or
Sogdia (modern Uzbekistan). Spitamenes, a Sogdian official, betrays Bessus
and delivers him to Ptolemy. They don’t realize it at the time, but Spitamenes
is only buying time and is not to be trusted (he will lead the rebellion that starts
off the song "Wings"). Alexander kills Bessus unpleasantly for betraying Darius.
His nose & ears are cut off, a Persian custom for those involved in regicide,
and he is eventually either tortured and decapitated, crucified, or drawn and
quartered, according to different historical accounts. Oxyartes of Bactria, a
local ruler and one of Bessus’ companions, escapes and sends his wife and
daughters to the Sogdian Rock (aka the Rock of Ariamazes, a fortress north
of Bactria) for safekeeping because the fortress is considered impregnable.
The taking of that fortress is the main story in the song "Wings", and one of
Oxyartes' daughters is Roxana, who eventually becomes Alexander's wife.

And now for the more subtle subtext of betrayal alluded to earlier:
It is difficult to imagine the elation of the Macedonians and Greeks
in Alexander's army after the final and total defeat of Persia. Having
avenged Achilles, Leonidas, Philip and a legendary list of grievances
against an ancient foe, having achieved a goal that no heroes of myth
or history had ever been able to accomplish and which they themselves
may not have initially even believed possible, Alexander's committment
to press on to India surely must have seemed like a betrayal. Although
some commentators attribute Alexander's eventual fall to later events,
I personally believe this decision was the beginning of the end.

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