Sophocles' Ajax describes the fall of a mighty warrior denied the honour which
he believed was his due. This new edition of the play presents a text and
critical apparatus which take full advantage of recent advances in our
understanding of Sophoclean manuscripts and scholarship. The introduction and
commentary scrutinise all important aspects of the drama - from detailed
analysis of style, language and metre to consideration of wider issues such as
ethics, rhetoric and characterisation. Notorious dramaturgical problems,
including the staging of Ajax's suicide, receive particular attention; so too do
questions of literary history, such as the date of the play and Sophocles'
creative interaction with previous