Ajax

In Sophocles’ tragic play, Ajax, there are several diverse characters who bring varying character traits to the plot. Amongst all of these characters, Ajax, the hero of the play, emerges as a significantly strong character representing greatness, despite his flaws. The plot is centered around Ajax’s demise and the way this is dealt with by these characters in the play. While there are numerous factors that cause Ajax to commit suicide by impaling himself on Hector’s sword, perhaps the goddess Athena is the most culpable of his death, thereby making her an unattractive character, at least in this play. The play begins with a speech from Athena, with this being the only Sophoclean play to open with the lines of a god (2). This probably shows…

In Book 9 of the Iliad by Homer, the reader witnesses an interesting event. Prior to this book, Agamemnon, the greatest of the Achean Kings, has hurt Achilles’ pride by taking Achilles prize, a woman. Because of this assault on his honor, Achilles has sworn that he will not fight for the Greeks, which has left the Greeks without their most potent weapon. Agamemnon eventually realizes that he was wrong and sends an embassy to Achilles consisting of: Odysseus, the great tactician, Pheonix, an…

If Menelaus doesn’t not gain courage and take Patroclus’ body away for a proper burial, he will get the ultimate punishment from Achilles. Athena is urging Menelaus to hold his ground and later in the story she provides him strength and boldness. It was important for Athena to emphasize that Menelaus would earn shame and dishonor for not acting justly, because as previously discussed dishonor is not something any warrior wants to be. The fear of dishonor has led characters to act irrationally…

Explain some of the ways Ajax appears delusional. After the outcome of Odysseus being rewarded the coveted armor for conquering Troy, as many of its prisoners stated that he was in rightful ownership for his respecting characteristics, in relation to Ajax, consequently, the son of Telamon was left in anger and resentment for his unrecognized efforts. Athena states, “he was aggrieved about the armor of Achilles”, therefore, this goddess of war and wisdom overthrew a madness, reckoning the mind of…

communities and cities (poleis). If a man does not die in the line of duty, however, his body may not receive the same treatment as the warrior killed in battle. The treatment of the bodies of the dead profoundly impacts the respective communities in the two texts and strongly reflects the moral state of the communities and their individuals on a much larger scale. Upon the death of a warrior in the Iliad, his fellow soldiers rally and fight to claim his body and make sure that it is not harmed…

Dishonor on Your Cow After Ajax takes his own life for having failed to kill his former friends, his brother Teucer defends Ajax’s honor by demanding he receive an honorable burial. The final stasimon of Sophocles’ tragic play Ajax revolves around the question of Ajax’s integrity and what it means to be honorable. While Agamemnon relies on societal definitions of nobility and alliance to denounce Ajax’s honor, Odysseus stands up for his new enemy claiming that his actions have earned him honor…

refuses to flee because he feels guilty and shame for his unwise decisions. He determines to face Achilles, regardless of the grief pleas of his parents Priam and Hecuba. This series of actions show that Hector is reluctant to listen to others, blindly courageous and reckless; however, he appears to be responsible and brave when he is resolved to confront Achilles, although this bravura is to be doubted. Contrary from who Hector claims himself to be—strong and brave—“he could hold his ground no…

Achilles from fighting. Achilles, spurred by the death of his dear comrade, reenters the battle with new armor forged by the god Hephaestus with a determination to destroy Hector. Achilles was able to kill Hector after a lengthy chase over a course of many miles and a meager sword battle. After Hector has been defeated, Achilles then binds Hector’s body to the back of a chariot and drags the limp body around the battlefield for many days as Achilles grieves over the death of Patroclus. Achilles…

The title of the work is The Iliad. Type: The Iliad is an epic. Author: The name of the author is Homer. Theme: The central idea of the epic is Rage. In the beginning of the work the character, Achilles, is said to be the reason why many Greeks died during war. In the epic poem, it says that Achilles allowed his rage to control his thinking, which resulted in him removing himself from the war between the Greeks and the Trojans. Continuing throughout the work Achilles continued to allow his…

“Sing, Goddess, Achilles’ rage, black and murderous, that cost the Greeks incalculable pain, pitched countless souls of heroes into Hades’ dark, And left their bodies to rot as feasts for dogs and birds, as Zeus’ will be done” (1:1-8). These are the first few lines of the book and we are already given dark imagery such as “black and murderous” and “incalculable pain” to explain the war to come. This remains a constant theme throughout the story which signals the act of war, and the death it…