Estimated to have been produced ca 445–440 BC (exact date not known).
This is a play of two halves: the first half focuses on the madness (rage) of Ajax and the second part concentrates on the burial of his body. It is essentially a play about two conflicting moral codes: the traditional one of the age of heroes, one steeped in honor and bravery, and the contemporary one [to its original performance date] of the then current democratic Athens, whose moral code was imbued with reason and objectivity.
Some have seen the play as the Tragedy of Man: Man is the toy in the hands of supernatural forces by the very fact of being a human being. Man is subject to the gods' control over Man's fate, and Man's reaction to it. This makes Man's life great as well as tragic.
It is a play about the total helplessness of Ajax in the face of divine opposition.
Map of Troy
Backstory
Ajax came to the Trojan from Salamis with twelve ships. He is an independent chief owing no allegiance other than to Agamemnon, the command-in-chief of the Achaian [Greek] forces.
Before the start of the play, Odysseus and Ajax have contended over who should receive the armour of the Greek warrior-hero Achilles who has been killed. The armour makes its wearer invincible and was specially made for Achilles by a god. Anyone who received this armoour would be recognised as the greatest warrior in the Greek army after Achilles. Trojan captives were asked to vote who had done the most damage to them during the Trojan War. And they voted that the armour should be awarded to Odysseus (they only came to this decision with the help of the goddess Athena). This enraged Ajax so much so that he vowed to assassinate the Greek commanders, Menelaus and Agamemnon, as they had disgraced him; he believed he was the greatest warrior aand deserved the armour more than Odysseus, but before he could get his revenge the goddess Athena has tricked him.
The Argument
Aias, the son of Telamon and Eribœa, was mighty among the heroes whom Agamemnon led against Troia, giant-like in stature and in strength; and in the pride of his heart he waxed haughty, and scorned the help of the Gods, and turned away from Pallas Athena when she would have protected him, and so provoked her wrath. Now when Achilles died, and it was proclaimed that his armour should be given to the bravest and best of all the host, Aias claimed them as being indeed the worthiest, and as having rescued the corpse of Achilles from shameful wrong. But the armour (so Athena willed) was given by the chief of the Hellenes not to him but to Odysseus, and, being very wroth thereat, he sought to slay the Atreidæ who had so wronged him, and would have so done, had not Athena darkened his eyes, and turned him against the flocks and herds of the host.
Dramatis Personae
Athena
Odysseus [warrior hero, commander of the defence of the right flank]
Ajax (Aias) [warrior hero, from Salamis. commander of the defence of the left flank]
Tecmessa [wife of Aias, Phrygian princess, Aias' captive concubine]
Teucros [half-brother of Aias]
Menelaos [King of Sparta, brother of Agamemnon, commander of the Spartan forces]
Agamemnon [King of Argos, supreme commander of the Achaean [allied Hellenic] forces in the war against Troy]
Eurysakes [son of Aias]
Attendant
Herald/Messenger
Chorus of Sailors from Salamis [Ajax's followers: these are warriors who both manned the ships and fought in the battles]
Setting: Tents of Aias on the shore, near Ilion; a low underwood in the background; and the sea seen in the distance.
[Alternative description of setting: (1) At first, before the tent of Ajax, at the eastern end of the Greek camp, near Cape Rhoeteum on the northern coast of the Troad. (2) After line 814, a lonely place on the shore of the Hellespont, with underwood or bushes.]
[Alternative description of setting: (1) At first, before the tent of Ajax, at the eastern end of the Greek camp, near Cape Rhoeteum on the northern coast of the Troad. (2) After line 814, a lonely place on the shore of the Hellespont, with underwood or bushes.]
Summary:
Prologue [Lines 1-133]
Enter the godess Athena Deus ex Machina on the roof of the skene [Theologeion]
Enter the godess Athena Deus ex Machina on the roof of the skene [Theologeion]
Enter Odysseus into the orchestra carefully examining footprints in the sand.
Odysseus cannot see Athena but recognises her voice.
Athena makes Odysseus invisible to Ajax as Odysseus is afraid to enter Ajax's tent. She tells him not to be afraid and to stand outside, and calls for Ajax.
Enter Ajax, in a rage. He is holding a whip.
Athena asks him whether he has killed the commanders of the army,
Ajax says he has, as they had robbed him of Achilles' armour, and now he's going to whip Laertes [Odysseus], whom he has chained up inside his tent as his prisoner, to death.
Athena tells Odysseus that she is always seeing him on the prowl, looking out for a chance to track down and strike a blow at his foes. Odysseus agrees: he has been tracking Ajax all night, and says that a soldier had told him that he had seen Ajax commit a most crazed act the slaughter of the sheep and cattle which had been captured from the enemy together with those guarding them. Athena confirms to Odysseus that she knows that this slaughter was truly the work of Ajax. She tells him that it was the fact Achilles armour was not given to him that had driven him to do this, believing he was killing Greeks and especially Odysseus himself. Athena tells Odysseus that she had to stop him from killing the commanders, Menelaus and Agamemnon, when he was outside their tent. To prevent him she had cast a cloud of delusion over his eyes, by tricking him into thinking that the sheep and the cattle around the tents were, in fact, the Greek commanders: this caused him to divert his anger onto them. Ajax kills and mutilates most of them. He has taken by some to his tent. Among these is a ram which he thinks is his rival, Odysseus.
Athena makes Odysseus invisible to Ajax as Odysseus is afraid to enter Ajax's tent. She tells him not to be afraid and to stand outside, and calls for Ajax.
Athena asks him whether he has killed the commanders of the army,
Ajax says he has, as they had robbed him of Achilles' armour, and now he's going to whip Laertes [Odysseus], whom he has chained up inside his tent as his prisoner, to death.
Exit Ajax back into the tent.
Athena asks Odysseus did he see all that.
Odysseus answers: "For I see well, nought else are we but mere phantoms, all we that live, mere fleeting shadows."
Athena asks Odysseus did he see all that.
Odysseus answers: "For I see well, nought else are we but mere phantoms, all we that live, mere fleeting shadows."
Athena disappears and Odysseus exits.
Parodos [Lines 134-200]
The Chorus enter. They describe Ajax as their leader and chief. They are Ajax's warrior followers from Salamis, sailors who are also his shield bearers and fight in the battles as well. They are completely devoted and loyal to him. This is established in the parodos. They have come because they have heard some dreadful rumours concerning their leader which they are fearful of, that he is the author of the slaughter of some livestock. If the deed has really been committed by him, he must have been driven to it by some angry deity who demented him. Or is the rumour a slander which has been put around because of the jealousy amongst the commanders of the Greek forces? They are seeking answers to their questions, and have need for further information. that is why they have come. There is irony: the information they seek is already known to the audience, thanks to the prologue. The Chorus do not mention his plot against the commanders of the army, that was revealed by Odysseus to the audience in the prologue. Thanks to this partial awareness, which goes unexplained, they condemn Odysseus as Ajax’s foe, without having to consider the morality of the hero’s motives.
They complain that the booty, the sheep and the cattle, was also meant to be shared with them, and with all in the army.
They complain that the booty, the sheep and the cattle, was also meant to be shared with them, and with all in the army.
The chorus’s prayer that the rumour, rather than the disease, may disappear. Let Ajax arise, and clear his good name, which is theirs too. They urge him to come out of his tent to defend himself. Ajax has such a reputation that by merely appearing causes his enemies to scatter.
1st Episode [Lines 201-595]
Expecting Ajax, instead Tecmessa, Ajax's concubine, comes out of the tent.
Expecting Ajax, instead Tecmessa, Ajax's concubine, comes out of the tent.
Part 1 (201-347)
- 1st Kommos [lament] (201-262) Tecmessa and the Chorus chant
She tells the Sailors that Ajax is greatly sickened with a storm of troubles. The Chorus ask her to tell them what has happened during the night in the tent. She confirms that Ajax has extremely violently killed many animals and is struck with a sickness [madness]. She is very sorrowful. The Chorus tell her they fear what might happen, that they and he might be done to death by order of the Commanders of the army, for he has killed the herds which they had captured from the enemy and the mounted soldiers guarding them. Tecmessa then desribes to them in great detail the mass slaughter of the animals inside the tent the previous night, cutting the heads off some, and hacking others. And how he had viciously whipped and especially cursed one which had been tied to the pole holding up the tent.
She tells the Sailors that Ajax is greatly sickened with a storm of troubles. The Chorus ask her to tell them what has happened during the night in the tent. She confirms that Ajax has extremely violently killed many animals and is struck with a sickness [madness]. She is very sorrowful. The Chorus tell her they fear what might happen, that they and he might be done to death by order of the Commanders of the army, for he has killed the herds which they had captured from the enemy and the mounted soldiers guarding them. Tecmessa then desribes to them in great detail the mass slaughter of the animals inside the tent the previous night, cutting the heads off some, and hacking others. And how he had viciously whipped and especially cursed one which had been tied to the pole holding up the tent.
(263-347) Tecmessa, the Chorus, and the Chorus Leader now speak.
- 2nd Kommos [lament] [348-429] Ajax singing from within. Tecmessa and the Chorus speaking outside.
Ajax declares the Sailors to be his only true and faithful friends, and describes the slaughter surrounding him; he begs them to kill him. The Chorus refuse. Ajax describes what a mad fool he has been, and the shame of it. He tells the Sailors to go away out of his sight. The Chorus Leader tells him to calm down: what's done is now past. Ajax says Odysseus is the evil one, filthiest scoundrel in all the army and tool of all the mischief. The Chorus Leader tells Ajax his situation is desparate. Ajax appeals to Zeus to help him kill Odysseus and the two kings [Agamemnon and Menelaus], and then himself. Tecmessa begs to know why she should live after he is dead. Ajax begs the god of the Underworld to take him away: Athena has undone him. He will be killed by the army. The living and the land will no longer see him. He will lie abject in dishonour.
Ajax declares the Sailors to be his only true and faithful friends, and describes the slaughter surrounding him; he begs them to kill him. The Chorus refuse. Ajax describes what a mad fool he has been, and the shame of it. He tells the Sailors to go away out of his sight. The Chorus Leader tells him to calm down: what's done is now past. Ajax says Odysseus is the evil one, filthiest scoundrel in all the army and tool of all the mischief. The Chorus Leader tells Ajax his situation is desparate. Ajax appeals to Zeus to help him kill Odysseus and the two kings [Agamemnon and Menelaus], and then himself. Tecmessa begs to know why she should live after he is dead. Ajax begs the god of the Underworld to take him away: Athena has undone him. He will be killed by the army. The living and the land will no longer see him. He will lie abject in dishonour.
Part 2 (430-595)
Tecmessa flings the door to Ajax's tent open. Therein, on the ekkuklema [wheeled out for the audience to see], is Ajax sitting in pain amidst the slaughtered bodies of a few animals, his skin is covered in blood, and he is weeping. Ajax has now returned to sanity. Now he sits in the middle of the slaughter, taking no food or drink, and gives signs that he intends to do something terrible.
Ajax tells us that his name means Agony. He describes how many years previously his valorous father too had fought the Trojans with bravery and returned home with honour. But he will now bring shame upon the family, left as an outcast. Achilles would himself had given him his armour, but Menelaus and Agamemnon have contrived that a man with a dishonest mind should have them.
Ajax tells us that his name means Agony. He describes how many years previously his valorous father too had fought the Trojans with bravery and returned home with honour. But he will now bring shame upon the family, left as an outcast. Achilles would himself had given him his armour, but Menelaus and Agamemnon have contrived that a man with a dishonest mind should have them.
The scene ends with a screaming sound coming out of Ajax's tent: the hero seems to be calling for his son Eurysaces, and for Teucer, his half-brother. Both Tecmessa and the Salaminian sailors now realize that Ajax might have regained his sanity again.
1st Stasimon [Lines 596-645]
The Chorus contrast their harsh life in Troy with the happiness they enjoyed in their homeland, Salamis. Ajax's madness makes their wretched state worse. Ajax's mother and father will be greatly sorrowed when they hear the news of their son's action. They lament Ajax’s fate: better off to hide in Hades than to be a man plagued by such a disease [madness], for he is noblest of the war-tried, but is now wandering outside of himself with alien thoughts.
The Chorus contrast their harsh life in Troy with the happiness they enjoyed in their homeland, Salamis. Ajax's madness makes their wretched state worse. Ajax's mother and father will be greatly sorrowed when they hear the news of their son's action. They lament Ajax’s fate: better off to hide in Hades than to be a man plagued by such a disease [madness], for he is noblest of the war-tried, but is now wandering outside of himself with alien thoughts.
2nd Episode [Lines 646-692]
Ajax enters from the tent; Tecmessa follows. The Sailors are already present in the orchestra.
Ajax delivers his "Trugrede" [misleading/deception] speech.
Ajax tells Tecmessa and the Chorus that he has overcome his iron will. He tells them that he has stopped being hard and rigid, that he now feels pity at leaving Tecmessa and their son, a widow and orphan amongst his foes.
He announces he going to the waterside in the meadow by the sea ritually to purify his stained character, in the hope that the goddess Athena's wrath leaves him. He will bury the sword Hector [the Trojan prince] gave him: gifts from an enemy are no real gifts [Trojan Horse?]. He must "Give way to the gods and bow before the sons of Atreus. They are our rulers; they must be obeyed." He says he must, like any soldier, accept his punishment. He says he will learn “to be sensible” (sophronein}.
To Tecmessa he says she must go where he tells her, and that he has found his safety.
Exit Ajax. Exit Tecmessa into the tent.
2nd Stasimon (Hyporcheme) [Lines 693-718]
The Chorus of Sailors from Salamis singing an ode of joy
They are thrilled to hear that he has overcome his madness, and are eager to dance, great news. They rejoice, thanking the gods, imploring them to teach them to dance. Ares, the god of war has cleared the grief from their eyes. And Zeus has brought the daylight. They joyously call Pan and Apollo to appear and join in the dance and celebration. Ajax can forget his pain; he once more recognises divine law. Time is the great healer.
3rd Episode [Lines 719-865]
Part 1 (719-814)
Enter a Messenger
The messenger has come from the army's HQ and main camp. Teucer, Ajax's half-brother, has returned from Mysia. As soon as he had arrived the whole army began to abuse and taunt him, jeering and jabbing at him; and calling him the brother of a lunatic and traitor. They threatened to stone him to death. They drew their swords. He must tell Ajax about all this immediately. He demands to know where he is.
He is told that Ajax is not here.
Messenger bemoans that he has not come in a more timely fashion. Teucer instructed the messenger to tell Ajax not to go outdoors.
Chorus: But Ajax has gone out with good intentions.
Messenger: That was foolish. Teucer had told him it was important to keep him in his own tent. He would be safer. Today was only day when Athena would come to vex him with her anger. Indeed Ajax had told her in the midst of a battle when she was standing next to him, to go away and assist other Greeks. This invoked her hatred of him.
Tecmessa is called for.
Enter Tecmessa.
The Messenger tells her that if Ajax is not here, there is no hope for him. Teucer had given him strict instructions that he was to be kept in his tent and not go out alone. Calchas the seer and prophet had warned us.
He is told that Ajax is not here.
Messenger bemoans that he has not come in a more timely fashion. Teucer instructed the messenger to tell Ajax not to go outdoors.
Chorus: But Ajax has gone out with good intentions.
Messenger: That was foolish. Teucer had told him it was important to keep him in his own tent. He would be safer. Today was only day when Athena would come to vex him with her anger. Indeed Ajax had told her in the midst of a battle when she was standing next to him, to go away and assist other Greeks. This invoked her hatred of him.
Tecmessa is called for.
Enter Tecmessa.
The Messenger tells her that if Ajax is not here, there is no hope for him. Teucer had given him strict instructions that he was to be kept in his tent and not go out alone. Calchas the seer and prophet had warned us.
Tecmessa orders the Chorus to split into two groups to go looking for Ajax; one to search eastwards and the other westwards.
Exit Tecmessa carrying Eurysaces, together with the Messenger
The Chorus splits into two groups exiting to both sides of the Orchestra.
Exit Tecmessa carrying Eurysaces, together with the Messenger
The Chorus splits into two groups exiting to both sides of the Orchestra.
[There is a scene change. The action is transferred to an empty place by the seashore. This one of the only two occasions in all of the extant Greek play literature where this occurs. The normal rule of Greek Theatre is one play = one fixed location, setting and scene.]
The skene represents a bush by the seashore.
The skene represents a bush by the seashore.
Part 2 (815-865)
Enter Ajax carrying a sword. He buries the handle of the sword with the blade pointing upwards inside the skene.
He tells the audience that it was the sword which Hector had given him [a gift, recognition from an enemy that he was a worthy and honourable foe].
Hector, of all friends
Most unloved, and most hateful to my sight.
Then it is planted in Troy's hostile soil,
New-sharpened on the iron-biting whet.
And heedfully have I planted it, that so
With a swift death it prove to me most kind.
He begs Zeus that Teucer be allowed to find his body first, to save his corpse from dishonour. He begs Hermes to conduct him down to the underworld quickly. He begs the Erinyes [the Furies] to come and sweep ruin upon the the Sons of Atreus, and wreak vengeance upon whole the army as well. And he requests Helios [the sun god] to rise up into the heavens in his chariot to relate the tale of his death to his parents. Finally, he begs Thanatos [the god of death] to attend him in the underworld.
He bids farewell to Salamis his dear home. and to Athens, and the streams and plains of Troy.
Exit Ajax into the skene where he falls upon his sword.
Epi-parodos [Lines 866-878]
The two halves of the Chorus enter from both sides, singing and speaking alternately.
They say neither of the teams have found Ajax, neither in the east nor in the west.
3rd Kommos (A Lament) [Lines 879-973]
There is a cry from the bush. Tecmessa has found Ajax's body. She covers his corpse with a robe.
The Chorus alternate between speaking [the Chorus Leader] and singing, as does Tecmessa.
Enter Tecmessa
They say neither of the teams have found Ajax, neither in the east nor in the west.
3rd Kommos (A Lament) [Lines 879-973]
There is a cry from the bush. Tecmessa has found Ajax's body. She covers his corpse with a robe.
The Chorus alternate between speaking [the Chorus Leader] and singing, as does Tecmessa.
Enter Tecmessa
She tells the Chorus that she has found Ajax's body and that he has killed himself by falling on his sword. "He is dead ... we can only weep for him"
The Chorus ask if they can see him. Tecmessa, says "No": she covers his corpse with a robe. She asks "Where is Teucer?"
She laments. The Chorus join in with her lament.
4th Episode [Lines 974-1184]
She laments. The Chorus join in with her lament.
4th Episode [Lines 974-1184]
Teucer hurries in. It seems that Zeus had heard the prayers of Ajax ; a rumour, as if from a god, had come to Ajax's brother.
His first thought: "Where is the child, Eurysaces?"
The Chorus Leader tells him he is by the tents.
Teucer tells Tecmessa to fetch him.
Exit Tecmessa
Teucer uncovers Ajax's body. He grieves deeply. He thinks of what their father is going to say. Did Teucer kill him? Will he be cast into exile as a slave, no longer free? He pulls out the sword from his body, Hector's final fatal gift.
The Chorus Leader tell him to hurry up and bury him, the enemy [Menelaus] is coming.
Enter Menelaus, with attendants
Menelaus orders Teucer by decree of the high command to leave the body where it is.
Teucer asks for his justification for this
Menelaus tells Teucer that Ajax was supposed to be their ally, but instead he was a traitor worse than the Trojans. He plotted to kill them. Fortunately a god diverted the object of his rage onto some sheep and cattle. Therefore, by his, Menelaus' , order, no one has the right or power to bury him. He is to lie there, his body feeding the seagulls. Whilst he was alive he disobeyed orders. Rules will never be kept in a city whose citizens do not respect authority. Such a city will sink beneath the depths. Neither would an army be well governed if its soldiers did not fear those above them. "If you [Teucer] dare to bury him you will fall into your own grave."
The Chorus Leader comments: "Fine words! but don't shame the dead."
The Chorus Leader comments: "Fine words! but don't shame the dead."
Teucer tells Menelaus men of the humblest birth do no wrong when men of the noblest birth use words like he has just heard. Ajax may have been an ally, but was Menelaus his general? Teucer begs the question what entitles Menlaus to assume that he had authority over Ajax. Menelaus had no rights at all. He was no general over Ajax, over the troops from Salamis. "Menelaus, you came here in a subordinate place! ... He owed no service to you. Rule your own! ... I will lay him justly in his tomb despite your prohibitions. He did not come here to rescue Helen, but for the reason of other oaths which he had sworn. I will ignore you. Think this over carefully."
Chorus Leader: "I can't approve this, but the argument is strong."
Chorus Leader: "I can't approve this, but the argument is strong."
Menelaus [scornfully]: "This archer seems to think well of himself!"
Teucer: "Archery is an honourable art, not contemptible at all!"
Menelaus and Teucer now row with each other [stichomythia]: Teucer argues that was it not right that one's enemies had to lie dead and unburied on the field of battle? But was Ajax Menelaus' enemy? Teucer then claims that the votes obtained for the granting of Achilles' armour were fraudulent, and Menelaus was found out. Menelaus then said don't blame him, but those who judged it. Teucer accuses him of villainy. Menelaus: "This man must not be buried!". Teucer: "He will be buried at once!"
Menelaus describes Teucer's argument as reckless, and that he should calm down.
Teucer describes Menelaus' haughty foolishness, that a wise person has said that by outraging the dead you will live to regret it.
Menelaus exits saying he could use force.
Teucer: "Archery is an honourable art, not contemptible at all!"
Menelaus and Teucer now row with each other [stichomythia]: Teucer argues that was it not right that one's enemies had to lie dead and unburied on the field of battle? But was Ajax Menelaus' enemy? Teucer then claims that the votes obtained for the granting of Achilles' armour were fraudulent, and Menelaus was found out. Menelaus then said don't blame him, but those who judged it. Teucer accuses him of villainy. Menelaus: "This man must not be buried!". Teucer: "He will be buried at once!"
Menelaus describes Teucer's argument as reckless, and that he should calm down.
Teucer describes Menelaus' haughty foolishness, that a wise person has said that by outraging the dead you will live to regret it.
Menelaus exits saying he could use force.
Teucer taunts him as he goes.
Exit Menelaus and attendants.
The Chorus chant a wrathful contest is in the brewing.
Tecmessa and the child, Eurysaces, enter.
Tecmessa and the child, Eurysaces, enter.
Teucer: "They have come to perform the due burial rites." To Eurysaces: "Stand next to your father as a suppliant." He cuts a lock of hair from himself and gives it to Eurysaces. He explains to Eurysaces that by making supplication he may curse anyone who tries to stop him burying his father, that may their body and corpse be thrown out and lie unburied. "Throw yourself onto his body and guard it!" He tells the Chorus to rally round to make a tomb for Ajax.
Exit Teucer
Exit Teucer
3rd Stasimon [Lines 1185-1222]
The Chorus curse the day they came to Troy and bewail the hardships they have suffered there. Ajax was once their source of strength and defence against the dread of the night, and they have lost him. They wish they could set sail for home and greet sacred Athens!
Exodos [Lines 1223-1420]
Teucer Re-enters. Tells everyone to get ready, Agamemnon is on his way.
Teucer Re-enters. Tells everyone to get ready, Agamemnon is on his way.
Enter Agamemnon
Were these deeds not his!
Neither Agamemnon nor Teucer backs down.
Exit Odysseus
Agamemenon tells Teucer how dare he, the son of a captive slave-woman, go unpunished for making powerful speeches against him. Even if Ajax (as Teucer has said) that Ajax came to Troy under his own command. Where did he stand in battle that I, Agamemnon, did not also stand?
"Nothing yourself [Teucer] that man [Ajax] is now nothing, having sworn that I [Agamemnon] am not the general nor the admiral either of the Achaeans [Greek Forces] or of you [Teucer] since Ajax ... came here under his own command."
Agamemnon continues: Ajax lost the arms: that is no reason why Teucer should attack the judges. "Teucer, you are not a freeborn man, you are unfit to plead before me. Bring someone else, a freeman, to make your case. I [Agamemnon] am not inclined to listen to you [Teucer]." He disqualifies Teucer by birth from being Ajax's champion in this case.
Teucer replies reminding Agamemnon who it was that saved the ships from Trojan fire and sword, and who it was that met Hector [Prince of Troy] in single combat.
Were these deeds not his!
Neither Agamemnon nor Teucer backs down.
Enter Odysseus
Agamemnon says to Odysseus that he, Teucer, refuses to leave Ajax's corpse untombed, but, in spite of his command, will bury it.
Odysseus pleads with Agamemnon. Agamemnon is willing to listen to him [Odysseus] as his friend.
I thee entreat, cast not this man out so unfeelingly, nor leave him there unburied.
...
This man of all the host became my greatest foe,
Since I prevailed to gain Achilles' arms
He was
The best and bravest of the Argive host,
Of all that came to Troy, saving one,
Achilles' self.
But on the laws of God. It is not right
[to leave such]
A man of noble nature lying dead.
Agamemnon prevaricates, finally saying that, though he will always hate Ajax, Odysseus may do as he pleases.
Exit Agamemnon
Odysseus turns to Teucer and then tells him he will always be his friend and asks may he help in the funeral rites.
Odysseus turns to Teucer and then tells him he will always be his friend and asks may he help in the funeral rites.
Teucer then says to Odysseus that he was the only one to lend a hand, that in his death he no longer wished to outrage him. Agamemon and his detestable brother wanted to leave him rotting on the open ground without a burial. May Zeus destroy them miserably. Teucer then hesitates to allow Odysseus to help out, but tells him he may not touch the corpse but he and any others he wants to bring may watch the proceedings. He tells Odysseus he truly is noble.
Exit Odysseus
Teucer: To the Chorus, some of you dig a grave, others prepare a cauldron on the fire to heat water water to wash the body with, others fetch his armour from the tent. To the boy, Come, lift him up with me, his blood is still warm. All you who were his friends come quick to share in the labours. There was none as noble as he, whilst he lived.
Chorus:
What men have seen they know;
But what shall come hereafter
No man before the event can see,
Nor what end waits for him.
Exeunt, following the body, Teucer, Eurysaces, Tecmessa and the Chorus
References
Achaeans (Homer) - Wikipedia
Ajax the Great - Wikipedia
Ajax | Encyclopedia Mythica
Tecmessa - Wikipedia
Tecmessa | Encyclopedia Mythica
ATHENA MYTHS 3 GENERAL - Greek Mythology - Theoi
(2013). Ajax (Aἴας). In The Encyclopedia of Greek Tragedy, H.M. Roisman (Ed.). doi:10.1002/9781118351222.wbegt0440
Ajax (Play) - Ancient History Encyclopedia
AJAX - SOPHOCLES | PLAY SUMMARY & ANALYSIS
www.ancient-literature.com › greece_sophocles_ajax
Ajax by Sophocles GreekMythology.com
ATHENA MYTHS 3 GENERAL - Greek Mythology - Theoi
(2013). Ajax (Aἴας). In The Encyclopedia of Greek Tragedy, H.M. Roisman (Ed.). doi:10.1002/9781118351222.wbegt0440
Ajax (Play) - Ancient History Encyclopedia
AJAX - SOPHOCLES | PLAY SUMMARY & ANALYSIS
www.ancient-literature.com › greece_sophocles_ajax
Ajax by Sophocles GreekMythology.com
Sophoclean Tragedy p. 16 Ajax : C.M. Bowra - Internet Archive
A. S. “Jebb's Ajax.” The Classical Review, vol. 11, no. 2, 1897, pp. 113–116. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/692843.
H.D.F. Kitto (April 2011). Greek Tragedy. Chapter VI - The Philosophy of Sophocles: Taylor & Francis. pp. 123–. ISBN 978-1-136-80690-2.
Bernard M. W. Knox. “The Ajax of Sophocles.” Harvard Studies in Classical Philology, vol. 65, 1961, pp. 1–37. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/310832
Andreas Markantonatos (27 August 2012). Brill's Companion to Sophocles. J.P. Finglass - Ajax: BRILL. pp. 59–. ISBN 978-90-04-21762-1.
The Poetics of Greek Tragedy by Malcolm Heath - Internet Archive
J.P. Finglass (25 August 2011). Sophocles: Ajax. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-139-50465-2.
Davidson, J. (1985). Sophoclean Dramaturgy and the Ajax Burial Debates. Ramus, 14(1), 16-29. doi:10.1017/S0048671X00005038
Lawrence, Stuart. “Ancient Ethics, the Heroic Code, and the Morality of Sophocles' Ajax.” Greece & Rome, vol. 52, no. 1, 2005, pp. 18–33. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/3567855
Golder, Herbert. “Sophocles' ‘Ajax’: Beyond the Shadow of Time.” Arion: A Journal of Humanities and the Classics, vol. 1, no. 1, 1990, pp. 9–34. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/20163444
Karakantza, Efimia D. “Polis Anatomy: Reflecting on Polis Structures in Sophoclean Tragedy.” Classics Ireland, vol. 18, 2011, pp. 21–51. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/23621460
Hawthorne, Kevin. “The Rhetorical Resolution of Sophokles' ‘Aias.’” Mnemosyne, vol. 65, no. 3, 2012, pp. 387–400., www.jstor.org/stable/23253330
Simpson, Michael. “SOPHOCLES' AJAX: HIS MADNESS AND TRANSFORMATION.” Arethusa, vol. 2, no. 1, 1969, pp. 88–103. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/26307263
MARCH, JENNIFER R. “SOPHOCLES' ‘AJAX’: THE DEATH AND BURIAL OF A HERO.” Bulletin of the Institute of Classical Studies, no. 38, 1991, pp. 1–36. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/43646729
Barker, Elton. “The Fall-out from Dissent: Hero and Audience in Sophocles' Ajax.” Greece & Rome, vol. 51, no. 1, 2004, pp. 1–20. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/3567876
Stevens, P. T. “Ajax in the Trugrede.” The Classical Quarterly, vol. 36, no. 2, 1986, pp. 327–336. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/639277
Keyser, Paul T. “The Will and Last Testament of Ajax.” Illinois Classical Studies, no. 33-34, 2009, pp. 109–126. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/10.5406/illiclasstud.33-34.0109
SUPPLICATION AND HERO CULT IN SOPHOCLES’ AJAX by Peter Burian
Greek Versions
Sophocles, Ajax Perseus Digital Library
Teubner Edition - Ajax
Ajax - Sophocles - Google Books ed. P.J. Finglass, Cambridge Classical Texts and Commentaries
Translations
A. S. “Jebb's Ajax.” The Classical Review, vol. 11, no. 2, 1897, pp. 113–116. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/692843.
Sophocles (1896). R. C. Jebb (ed.). Sophocles: The Plays and Fragments Volume 7 The Ajax. University Press.
Sophocles: The Plays and Fragments; with Critical Notes, Commentary, and Translation in English Prose by R.C. Jebb Pt 7 : Sophocles - Internet Archive
Jan Coenraad Kamerbeek (1953). The Plays of Sophocles: The Ajax. E. J. Brill.
Sophocles: The Plays and Fragments; with Critical Notes, Commentary, and Translation in English Prose by R.C. Jebb Pt 7 : Sophocles - Internet Archive
Jan Coenraad Kamerbeek (1953). The Plays of Sophocles: The Ajax. E. J. Brill.
H.D.F. Kitto (April 2011). Greek Tragedy. Chapter VI - The Philosophy of Sophocles: Taylor & Francis. pp. 123–. ISBN 978-1-136-80690-2.
Bernard M. W. Knox. “The Ajax of Sophocles.” Harvard Studies in Classical Philology, vol. 65, 1961, pp. 1–37. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/310832
Andreas Markantonatos (27 August 2012). Brill's Companion to Sophocles. J.P. Finglass - Ajax: BRILL. pp. 59–. ISBN 978-90-04-21762-1.
The Poetics of Greek Tragedy by Malcolm Heath - Internet Archive
J.P. Finglass (25 August 2011). Sophocles: Ajax. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-139-50465-2.
Lawrence, Stuart. “Ancient Ethics, the Heroic Code, and the Morality of Sophocles' Ajax.” Greece & Rome, vol. 52, no. 1, 2005, pp. 18–33. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/3567855
Golder, Herbert. “Sophocles' ‘Ajax’: Beyond the Shadow of Time.” Arion: A Journal of Humanities and the Classics, vol. 1, no. 1, 1990, pp. 9–34. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/20163444
Karakantza, Efimia D. “Polis Anatomy: Reflecting on Polis Structures in Sophoclean Tragedy.” Classics Ireland, vol. 18, 2011, pp. 21–51. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/23621460
Hawthorne, Kevin. “The Rhetorical Resolution of Sophokles' ‘Aias.’” Mnemosyne, vol. 65, no. 3, 2012, pp. 387–400., www.jstor.org/stable/23253330
Simpson, Michael. “SOPHOCLES' AJAX: HIS MADNESS AND TRANSFORMATION.” Arethusa, vol. 2, no. 1, 1969, pp. 88–103. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/26307263
MARCH, JENNIFER R. “SOPHOCLES' ‘AJAX’: THE DEATH AND BURIAL OF A HERO.” Bulletin of the Institute of Classical Studies, no. 38, 1991, pp. 1–36. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/43646729
Barker, Elton. “The Fall-out from Dissent: Hero and Audience in Sophocles' Ajax.” Greece & Rome, vol. 51, no. 1, 2004, pp. 1–20. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/3567876
Stevens, P. T. “Ajax in the Trugrede.” The Classical Quarterly, vol. 36, no. 2, 1986, pp. 327–336. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/639277
Keyser, Paul T. “The Will and Last Testament of Ajax.” Illinois Classical Studies, no. 33-34, 2009, pp. 109–126. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/10.5406/illiclasstud.33-34.0109
Evans, J. A. S. “A Reading of Sophocles' ‘Ajax.’” Quaderni Urbinati Di Cultura Classica, vol. 38, no. 2, 1991, pp. 69–85. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/20547094.
Tyler, James. “Sophocles' Ajax and Sophoclean Plot Construction.” The American Journal of Philology, vol. 95, no. 1, 1974, pp. 24–42. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/293816.
Henrichs, Albert. “The Tomb of Aias and the Prospect of Hero Cult in Sophokles.” Classical Antiquity, vol. 12, no. 2, 1993, pp. 165–180. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/25010992.
Blume, Horst-Dieter. “THE STAGING OF SOPHOCLES' ‘AIAS.’” Mediterranean Archaeology, vol. 17, 2004, pp. 113–120. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/24668143.
Kelly, Adrian. “AIAS IN ATHENS: THE WORLDS OF THE PLAY AND THE AUDIENCE.” Quaderni Urbinati Di Cultura Classica, vol. 111, no. 3, [Accademia Editoriale, Fabrizio Serra Editore], 2015, pp. 61–92, http://www.jstor.org/stable/24645173.
Clark, James T. "The Skene Door in the Prologue of Sophocles’ Ajax." Mnemosyne 72.5 (2018): 861-866. https://doi.org/10.1163/1568525X-12342669
Tyler, James. “Sophocles' Ajax and Sophoclean Plot Construction.” The American Journal of Philology, vol. 95, no. 1, 1974, pp. 24–42. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/293816.
Henrichs, Albert. “The Tomb of Aias and the Prospect of Hero Cult in Sophokles.” Classical Antiquity, vol. 12, no. 2, 1993, pp. 165–180. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/25010992.
Blume, Horst-Dieter. “THE STAGING OF SOPHOCLES' ‘AIAS.’” Mediterranean Archaeology, vol. 17, 2004, pp. 113–120. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/24668143.
Kelly, Adrian. “AIAS IN ATHENS: THE WORLDS OF THE PLAY AND THE AUDIENCE.” Quaderni Urbinati Di Cultura Classica, vol. 111, no. 3, [Accademia Editoriale, Fabrizio Serra Editore], 2015, pp. 61–92, http://www.jstor.org/stable/24645173.
Clark, James T. "The Skene Door in the Prologue of Sophocles’ Ajax." Mnemosyne 72.5 (2018): 861-866. https://doi.org/10.1163/1568525X-12342669
Greek hero cults and ideas of immortality; the Gifford lectures delivered in the University of St. Andrews in the year 1920 by L.R. Farnell p. 305 The Cults of Epic Heroes - Aias Telamonios
SUPPLICATION AND HERO CULT IN SOPHOCLES’ AJAX by Peter Burian
Greek Versions
Sophocles, Ajax Perseus Digital Library
Teubner Edition - Ajax
Ajax - Sophocles - Google Books ed. P.J. Finglass, Cambridge Classical Texts and Commentaries
Translations
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