Page "Masters of Rome" Paragraph 3

McCullough portrays Caesar as being an autocrat but also a great military man, populist and reformer, which is somewhat controversial.

She does not portray the death of the Republic as a positive thing but rather portrays Caesar as being a great man and his crossing of the Rubicon as being inevitable, given that the alternative was exile and disgrace and the violation of his dignitas, which was an unthinkable anathema to a Roman Patrician of consular rank.

According to McCullough's portrayal, Caesar's crossing of the Rubicon was his last option, his last roll of the dice, as best illustrated by the timeless quote from Caesar: " The die is cast .".

McCullough points out that the translation of the alternative Greek version of his words is " Let the dice fly high.

", which characterises not fatalism ( as with the former ) but rather risk-taking, the crossing of the Rubicon being Caesar's last gambit.