Question

But since you all want to go, go then—all of you! Go back to your homes and tell them there about your king Alexander. Tell them of his victories over Persians, Medes, Bactrians, and Sacae; his subjection of Uxians, Arachosians, and Drangians; his conquest of Parthyaea, Chorasmia, and Hyrcania as far as the Caspian Sea; how he went over the Caucasus beyond the Caspian Gates, crossed the river Oxus and the Tanaïs, even the Indus which no one but Dionysus had ever crossed before, as well as the Hydaspes and Acesines and Hydraotes, and would have crossed the Hyphasis too if you had not lost your nerve. . . . Tell them this.

–Speech at Opis,
Alexander the Great

What is Alexander’s primary purpose in this excerpt from his speech?

to persuade his troops that war is a necessary evil
to entertain his soldiers with tales from great battles
to teach his troops what it takes to be a strong soldier
to motivate his soldiers to win more victories with him

Answer 1

to motivate his soldiers to win more victories with him

He rehearses past conquests and challenges their courage (e.g., “would have crossed the Hyphasis too if you had not lost your nerve”) to inspire and push the troops to keep fighting alongside him.