Based on the conviction that only translators who write poetry themselves can properly recreate the celebrated Greek tragedies, the Greek Tragedy in New Translation series offers new translations that go beyond the literal meaning of the Greek in order to evoke the poetry of the originals. Under the general editorship of Herbert Golder and the late William Arrowsmith, each volume includes a critical introduction, commentary on the text, full stage directions, and a glossary of the mythical and geographical references in the plays.
Brought boldly to life by Herbert Golder and Richard Pevear's translation and contextualized by Herbert Golder's excellent introduction, this early Sophoclean tragedy tells the story of the Trojan war hero better known as Ajax, who was second only to Achilles among the Greek warriors. His great crisis was not in battle, but afterward, when Achilles' armor was given to his rival Odysseus instead of to himself. Clearly the greater warrior, he was driven to suicide by his betrayal by the Greeks. In this Sophoclean version of the Aias myth, the hero transforms his dishonor into a work of tragic art, and his suicide is likewise seen as an act of heroic destiny.
