Sophocles: Ajax

Not since 1896 has Sophocles' Ajax received such a sustained analysis on so many levels: literary, dramatic, textual and metrical.

Sophocles (Author), P. J. Finglass (Edited by)

9781107003071, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 25 August 2011

624 pages, 3 tables
21.6 x 14 x 3.8 cm, 0.94 kg

'This is an outstanding piece of scholarship … Scholars and students should be grateful to Finglass for this invaluable book … This commentary will stand as a milestone of Sophoclean scholarship for decades to come.' Marco Catrambone, Journal of Hellenic Studies

Sophocles' Ajax describes the fall of a mighty warrior denied the honour which he believed was his due. This edition of the play presents a text and critical apparatus which take full advantage of 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 accounts of the myth. The translation which accompanies the commentary ensures that this edition will be accessible to Hellenists of all levels of experience, as well as to readers with a general interest in the history of drama.

Introduction
Text and critical apparatus
Commentary
Bibliography
Indices.

Subject Areas: Classical history / classical civilisation [HBLA1], Literary studies: classical, early & medieval [DSBB]