Almost all of us like to know more about people such as Nero, Cleopatra, Julius Caesar or Alexander the Great. We have learned much about them in the history class. However, a relatively unknown writer – Will Cuppy – has written a book about well-known people revealing their little foibles. He was not a historian but a writer who had gathered interesting facts about great people using his own methods.
Will Cuppy was working on ‘The decline and fall of practically everybody’ for 16 years. When he died in 1949, he was busy with other projects as well. He worked as a columnist for the ‘New York Herald Tribune’ and contributed articles to various magazines before writing on famous people. He also wrote a series on animals. The first of the animal books was ‘How to tell your friends from the apes’. He was encouraged to write more animal stories by readers.
‘The decline and fall of practically everybody’ was perhaps his masterpiece. How he worked as a writer is another interesting story. Before writing anything he would read all the available books and published articles about it. In many instances, he used to read obscure books no longer available in the country. After absorbing all the facts he would make notes on little 3 by 3 index cards which were later put into a card-file box. He wanted to know everything about the subject he was writing.
Greeks and Romans
His writings on ancient Greeks and Romans were quite innovative. We have read much about Pericles, the greatest statesman of ancient Greece. He ruled Athens for more than 30 years. People called him the Olympian because of his marvellous wisdom and eloquence. He had a cone-shaped head and many comedians made jests about its unusual shape. Pericles was a people-friendly ruler and they always voted for him.
Although Pericles was a great ruler, he had his own foibles. He seldom wore a new suit. He reduced the power of the Council of the Areopagus, a group of feeble old men who held their jobs for life. He made Athens a beautiful city by building the Parthenon. Inside it, he kept a statue of Parthenos. Meanwhile, Socrates was going round barefoot asking the people to define their terms. He taught that the good life consisted of being good and that virtue is knowledge.
Pericles was proud of such philosophers, but he cared more for his private life. He was particularly fond of Aspasia, a lady known for her beauty and wit. However, he could not marry her as she was a foreigner. Before meeting Aspasia, Pericles had passed a law prohibiting Athenians to marry foreigners. So, he had to abide by his own law.
After some time, Pericles divorced his wife and Aspasia moved in becoming his companion. She ran a salon at Pericles’ house. It became a meeting place for eminent people like Herodotus, Sophocles, Thucydides, Euripides and Socrates. Aspasia advised Pericles on political matters and even wrote his speeches.
Cuppy’s chapter on Cleopatra gives a different portrayal of the legendary queen of Egypt. She was the daughter of Ptolemy XIII. He died in 5 B.C. leaving Egypt to Cleopatra and her ten-year-old brother Ptolemy XIV. She was 21 when she started ruling the kingdom.
When the Roman Emperor Julius Caesar arrived in Egypt on business, Cleopatra had herself carried into his presence in a roll of bedding. After giving him a romantic shock, Cleopatra spent the night with him. Although Julius Caesar was 54, he was a ladies’ man. He might have even married Cleopatra if not for his wife living in Rome. During Cleopatra’s visit to Rome in 44 B.C. Caesar was killed by some of his friends.
Three years later, Cleopatra met Mark Antony, a fat man with a beard. Both of them wanted to conquer Asia and eventually the world. Earlier, Julius Caesar and Cleopatra had the same plan. Antony and Cleopatra got married secretly when their twins were only four years old. Antony was a delightful companion to Cleopatra. They used to disguise themselves in old clothes and run through the streets at night knocking at doors, breaking windows and laughing like naughty children. To the outside world, Mark Antony and Cleopatra appeared to be a perfect couple.
At 50, Mark Antony grew fatter and lazier ruining his good looks. He began to drink heavily. Cleopatra thought that she had made a terrible mistake and wanted to get rid of him. Meanwhile, Octavian, the adopted son of Julius Caesar, defeated Antony at Actium.
Friendly
Cleopatra tried to be friendly with him, but he wanted to take her to Rome as an exhibit. So, she called it a day at the age of 39. Cuppy says Cleopatra was not a sinful woman although she carried on with ‘skinny old Julius’ and ‘foolish old Mark’. According to him, Cleopatra was a striking brunette with a perfect nose.
When rulers become cruel and nasty, we are reminded of Nero who had his own brand of foibles. He always drank boiled water after cooling it. He killed his mother to please his sweetheart Poppaea Sabing whom he later married and kicked to death while she was pregnant. She was known to be a nagging wife.
However, Nero spoke Latin fluently. His tutor Seneca taught him the vanity of worldly wealth. However, Nero got rid of him after some time. Nero’s mother Agrippina was a bossy woman who drove her first husband to drink after making a will in her favour. She also killed her third husband Claudius by feeding him with poisoned mushrooms.
Suicide
Most of Rome was destroyed by a great fire in A.D. 64. Historians say Nero caused the fire. Whatever that may be, Nero did not fiddle during the conflagration for the violin had not yet been invented. He probably played the lyre and sang of the fall of Troy.
Nero rebuilt the city with modern buildings. He used to sing in private and in public accompanied by his lyre. One day, the theatre was shaken by a sudden earthquake while he was performing. Lightning too struck the theatre, but Nero was not harmed. His end came when he cut his own throat in A.D. 68, the anniversary of his first wife’s murder.
Most of us have heard about Alexander the Great who killed more people than any other ruler of his time. He killed people to impress Greek culture upon them. Strangely, he was not a Greek or a cultured man. His mother – Olympias – was an abnormal woman who kept snakes in her bedroom.
She told Alexander that his real father was Zeus Ammon in the form of a snake. He believed her words and boasted about it. He was educated by the celebrated Greek philosopher Aristotle. He taught that the brain was not involved in the thinking process. After learning ethics from his teacher, Alexander started killing more people and wanted to invade Asia. After some time, Alexander’s empire fell to pieces and nothing remains of his achievements.
Will Cuppy gives a graphic account of so many other greats such as Louis XIV, Peter the Great, Catherine the Great, William the Conqueror, Christopher Columbus, and Hannibal. The message he gives is loud and clear. All great men and women had their little foibles.
