Second-mightiest Greek warrior at Troy after Achilles. Lost the contest for Achilles's armor to Odysseus and, in Sophocles's telling, took his own life in shame.
Ajax, son of King Telamon of Salamis, is repeatedly called the strongest and steadiest Greek fighter at Troy after Achilles, a defensive rock rather than a flashy hero. In the Iliad he duels Hector to a respectful draw and, when Patroclus falls, is the one who holds off the Trojans long enough for the body to be recovered.
The Contest for the Arms
After Achilles's death, his divine armor, forged by Hephaestus, is offered as a prize to the best of the remaining Greeks. Ajax, who carried Achilles's body from the battlefield, expects to win it, but the Greek leaders (or, in some versions, Trojan prisoners) award it instead to Odysseus for his cunning. Ajax takes the judgment as an unbearable insult to his honor.
Madness and Death
Humiliated, Ajax plans to murder the Greek commanders in the night, but Athena strikes him with madness so that he instead slaughters a flock of sheep and cattle, believing them to be his enemies. When his sanity returns and he realizes what he has done, the shame is too much to bear: Sophocles's tragedy Ajax shows him falling on his own sword. In the Odyssey, his shade in the underworld still refuses to speak to Odysseus, still resentful over the lost armor.
Parentage
Mortal parent: Telamon, king of Salamis
Wholly mortal parentage.
Key Deeds
•Fought Hector to an inconclusive draw in single combat
•Recovered Achilles's body from the battlefield after his death
•Lost the contest for Achilles's divine armor to Odysseus
•Slaughtered a flock of livestock in a god-sent madness, mistaking them for his rivals
Fate
Fell on his own sword in shame after the madness lifted and he understood what he had done, as dramatized in Sophocles's Ajax.
Primary Sources
Historical texts and references
“Of all the Danaans, after the excellent son of Peleus, Ajax was far the best in both looks and deeds.”
“The shade of Ajax alone stood apart, still angry over the victory Odysseus had won concerning the arms of Achilles, and would not speak to him.”
