Editing Sulla (section)

==Appearance and character==
Sulla was red-blond{{sfn|Keaveney|2005|p=10}} and blue-eyed, and had a dead-white face covered with red marks.<ref>{{cite book |last=Hildinger |first=Erik |title=Swords against the Senate: the rise of the Roman army and the fall of the Republic |date=2002 |publisher=Da Capo Press |location=Cambridge, MA |isbn=978-0306812798 |page=99}}</ref> Plutarch notes that Sulla considered that "his golden head of hair gave him a singular appearance."<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Plutarch/Lives/Sulla*.html |title=Plutarch, Life of Sulla |date=May 2008 |access-date=3 July 2011}}</ref>

He was said to have a duality between being charming, easily approachable, and able to joke and cavort with the most simple of people, while also assuming a stern demeanor when he was leading armies and as dictator. An example of the extent of his charming side was that his soldiers would sing a ditty about Sulla's one testicle, although without truth, which he allowed as being "fond of a jest."{{sfn|Keaveney|2005}} This duality, or inconsistency, made him very unpredictable and "at the slightest pretext, he might have a man crucified, but, on another occasion, would make light of the most appalling crimes; or he might happily forgive the most unpardonable offenses, and then punish trivial, insignificant misdemeanors with death and confiscation of property."<ref>Plutarch, ''Roman Lives'', Oxford University Press, 1999, translation by Robin Waterfield. p. 181.</ref>

His excesses and penchant for debauchery could be attributed to the difficult circumstances of his youth, such as losing his father while he was still in his teens and retaining a doting stepmother, necessitating an independent streak from an early age. The circumstances of his relative poverty as a young man left him removed from his patrician brethren, enabling him to consort with revelers and experience the baser side of human nature. This "firsthand" understanding of human motivations and the ordinary Roman citizen may explain why he was able to succeed as a general despite lacking any significant military experience before his 30s.{{sfn|Keaveney|2005|p=11}}

The historian Sallust fleshes out this character sketch of Sulla:

{{quote|
He was well versed both in Greek and Roman literature, and had a truly remarkable mind. He was devoted to pleasure but more devoted to glory. He never allowed his debaucheries to interfere with his duties but he devoted all his leisure time to them. He was both eloquent and clever, and he made friends easily. When it came to hiding his intentions, his mind was incredibly unfathomable, yet with all else he was extremely generous; especially with money.{{sfn|Sall. ''Iug.''|loc=95}}
}}