The Bucket List Book Adventure: Book 11 - Ajax by Sophocles – The Madness of Honor

Dear Henry,

Book 12 of the Bucket List Book Adventure, Ajax by Sophocles, is complete, and what a grim, fascinating story it turned out to be.

Ajax is believed to be the oldest of Sophocles’s seven surviving plays, written sometime between 450 and 430 BC. The exact date of its first performance at the Festival of Dionysus has been lost to history, but its age shows in its raw, straightforward intensity.

Ajax was the son of King Telamon and Periboea and the grandson of Zeus. He was a massive, formidable warrior, second only to Achilles in strength and skill, trained by the centaur Chiron. Ajax fought Hector twice (both duels ending in a draw), recovered the body of Patroclus, and later joined Odysseus to reclaim Achilles’s body after his death. That mission, however, sowed the seeds of disaster.

Both Ajax and Odysseus claimed the right to Achilles’s divine armor, forged by Hephaestus himself. When the war council awarded it to Odysseus, aided, of course, by Athena’s favor and his silver tongue, Ajax’s pride was shattered.

“Don’t seek a worse cure for a bad disease, and make your pain heavier than it is.” – Sophocles, Ajax

The play opens outside Ajax’s tent. Dead animals litter the ground, the aftermath of a blood-soaked delusion. Athena, who has punished Ajax’s arrogance, explains to Odysseus that she has clouded the warrior’s mind, making him think the Greek herds were his enemies. Inside the tent, Ajax tortures a live ram, believing it to be Odysseus himself.

When he regains his senses and realizes what he’s done, shame consumes him. His wife, Tecmessa, begs him not to act rashly. Ajax appears to relent, claiming he only wishes to cleanse himself and bury his sword. But the prophet Calchas soon arrives, warning that if Ajax leaves his tent that day, he will die.

“Great Time makes all things dim and ignites them again.” – Sophocles, Ajax

The prophecy holds true. Ajax throws himself onto his sword, cursing Agamemnon, Menelaus, Odysseus, and the entire Greek host. His half-brother Teucer later insists on burying him, despite opposition from the kings. In a surprising moment of mercy, Odysseus himself intervenes, insisting Ajax deserves an honorable burial because it is right.

I was struck by how different Odysseus feels here. Usually, I find him manipulative and self-serving (I’ve written about that before in The Odyssey and Philoctetes), but in Ajax, he shows something like compassion, or at least decency.

What also stood out is that Ajax, though descended from Zeus, had no divine patron of his own. He ignored the gods’ counsel and suffered for it, a warning, perhaps, against the illusion of self-sufficiency. His downfall feels like the classical version of our “self-made man” myth, proud, determined, and ultimately undone by his own independence.

“Vindictiveness should not so govern you as to make you trample on the right.” – Sophocles, Ajax

Still, this play wasn’t one of my favorites. It’s dark, and I can’t stop wondering what became of Tecmessa, Ajax’s captive-turned-wife, who vanishes from the story after his death.

Next up: The History of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides,  another deep dive into honor, power, and humanity. I’ll let you know what I think soon.

xoxo,
a.d. elliott

*Note* The Bucket List Book Adventure continues on Rite of Fancy — my literary corner of the Take the Back Roads journey.  Come read more reflections on philosophy, faith, and the books that shape the road.

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a.d. elliott is a wanderer, writer, and photographer currently living in Salem, Virginia. 

In addition to the travel writings at www.takethebackroads.com, you can also read her book reviews at www.riteoffancy.com and US military biographies at www.everydaypatriot.com

Her online photography gallery can be found at shop.takethebackroads.com

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