but the party near the two men removed the dagger, restrained Alexander, and hustled Cleitus out of the room. The Hypaspists had conveniently left the vicinity of Alexander. Alexander then called for his trumpeter to summon the army; the alarm was not sounded. Nevertheless, Cleitus managed to return to the room to utter more grievances against Alexander (it is possible that Cleitus had not even left the room). But sources agree that at this point Alexander got hold of a javelin and threw it through Cleitus's heart. In all of the four major known texts, it is shown that Alexander grieved for the death of Cleitus. Alexander may have genuinely not wanted to kill Cleitus. However, Cleitus was a member of Philip II's generation and Alexander had been removing that generation from power to keep his own peers in power. The motives of Cleitus in this quarrel have been interpreted in various ways. Cleitus may have been angered at Alexander's increasing adoption of Persian customs. After the death of King Darius III, Alexander was legally King of the Persian Empire. Alexander was now employing eunuchs and was tolerant of such Persian customs as proskynesis, which was considered degrading by many in the Macedonian army. Cultural references Cleitus, as Clito, appears as a character in Handel's opera Alessandro. The American poet John Berryman recounts the tale of "Kleitos" in his thirty-third "dream song." Cleitus, played by Gary Stretch, is a supporting character in the film Alexander. His death scene in the film is consistent with the historical sources. Cleitus' death is also described in Mary Butts' 1931 novel The Macedonian. Cleitus' story is recalled in Henry V in comparing Sir John Falstaff and King Henry V to Cleitus and Alexander in Act IV Scene 7 Lines 33–50. Seneca the Younger makes a reference to Cleitus' death in letter 83 of his book Epistulae Morales ad Lucilium. References External links Plutarch, The Life of Alexander, 16 and 50–51. Livius, Clitus by Jona Lendering 370s BC births 328 BC deaths 4th-century BC Macedonians Ancient Macedonian generals Ancient Macedonian murder victims Generals of Alexander the Great Hetairoi People executed by Alexander the Great