Cultural depictions of Napoleon

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This article is part of a series about Napoleon
Family Wives Joséphine de Beauharnais Marie Louise Children Charles Léon Alexandre Walewski Napoleon II Parents Carlo Maria Buonaparte Letizia Ramolino Brothers Joseph Lucien Louis Jérôme Sisters Caroline Pauline Elisa Life and career Timeline First French Empire Client states Coup of 18 Brumaire Consulate Assassination attempts Constitutions 1799 1802 1804 1815 Napoleonic Wars Coronation Sale of Louisiana Planned invasion of the United Kingdom Holland Mesures usuelles Looting of art Tactics Weaponry and warfare 1st abdication 1st exile Route Napoléon 2nd abdication Death mask Battles and wars French Revolutionary Wars War of the First Coalition French Revolution Siege of Toulon 13 Vendémiaire Italian Campaign of 1796-1797 Montenotte Campaign Battle of Lodi Battle of Castiglione Battle of Bassano Battle of Arcole Battle of Rivoli Siege of Mantua Fall of Venice French campaign in Egypt and Syria Battle of the Pyramids Battle of Mount Tabor Siege of Acre Battle of Aboukir War of the Second Coalition Marengo campaign Battle of Marengo Napoleonic Wars War of the Third Coalition Ulm Campaign Battle of Ulm Battle of Austerlitz War of the Fourth Coalition Battle of Jena-Auerstedt Greater Poland Uprising Battle of Eylau Battle of Friedland Peninsular War Battle of Somosierra War of the Fifth Coalition Battle of Eckmühl Battle of Aspern-Essling Battle of Wagram French invasion of Russia Battle of Smolensk Battle of Borodino Battle of the Berezina War of the Sixth Coalition German campaign of 1813 Battle of Lützen Battle of Bautzen Battle of Dresden Battle of Leipzig Campaign of France Battle of La Rothière Six Days' Campaign Battle of Vauchamps Battle of Montereau Battle of Laon Battle of Reims Battle of Arcis-sur-Aube Hundred Days Waterloo campaign Battle of Ligny Battle of Waterloo Views Catholic Church Concordat of 1801 Tiara Jewish people Grand Sanhedrin Infamous Decree Protestants Organic Articles Slavery Law of 20 May 1802 Saint-Domingue expedition Homes and honours Equestrian statue Palace of Fontainebleau Les Invalides Longwood House Maison Bonaparte Napoleon as Mars the Peacemaker Milan Warsaw monument Legacy Egyptology Rosetta Stone Mémoires sur l'Égypte Description de l'Égypte Institut d'Égypte Bank of France French Prefecture System Legion of Honour Napoleonic Code Coinage Public works Pont d'Iéna Simplon Pass Arc de Triomphe Column of the Grande Armée Rue de la Victoire Cultural depictions Propaganda Symphony No. 3 (Beethoven) Valentin Vodnik Pan Tadeusz War and Peace Crime and Punishment Napoleon complex "Red Napoleon" term German Romanticism Bonapartism "China is a sleeping giant" quote Tomb Retour des cendres Penis Studies
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Napoleon I, Emperor of the French, has become a worldwide cultural icon generally associated with tactical brilliance, ambition, and political power. His distinctive features and costume have made him a very recognisable figure in popular culture.

He has been portrayed in many works of fiction, his depiction varying greatly with the author's perception of the historical character. On the one hand, Napoleon has become a worldwide cultural icon who symbolises military genius and political power. For example, in the 1927 film Napoléon, young general Bonaparte is portrayed as a heroic visionary. On the other hand, he has often been reduced to a stock character and has frequently been depicted as a short and "petty tyrant", sometimes comically so.