Ajax Character Analysis in The Song of Achilles

The large and powerful Ajax is the king of Salamis and Greece’s second-best fighter after his cousin, Achilles; he’s also one of the Trojan War’s generals. Though he’s skilled in battle, he isn’t fated for greatness the way Achilles is. He is, for instance, incapable of killing Hector—their fight ends in a draw—whereas Achilles does eventually kill Hector. Ajax later goes with Odysseus to broker peace with Achilles on Agamemnon’s behalf. Patroclus notes that it must have cost him a lot to do so, since he’s army’s best fighter as long as Achilles sits the war out. Eventually, Hector wounds Ajax in battle, which helps spur Patroclus to, finally, beg Achilles to fight—and then to don Achilles’s armor. When Achilles dies, Ajax is the only soldier who cries over his body, but Patroclus dryly notes that they could be happy tears—Ajax thinks that Achilles’s death means he’ll get a promotion.

Ajax Character Timeline in The Song of Achilles

The timeline below shows where the character Ajax appears in The Song of Achilles. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Other men present themselves, including the giant-like Ajax. The man with the scar on his calf goes last; Tyndareus identifies him as Odysseus,... (full context)

...Patroclus recognizes many, remembering his own presence among them years ago. The names include Odysseus, Ajax, and Menoitiades, which is Patroclus’s family name—one no one remembers, because Patroclus’s father hasn’t made... (full context)

...have come just for him, not bound by an oath. Those kings include people like Ajax and the very old Nestor. On the Trojan side, there’s King Priam, who supposedly has... (full context)

...setting up, they return to the central camp and run into Achilles’s cousin, the enormous Ajax, who behaves stiffly toward them. Patroclus knows that if Achilles weren’t Aristos Achaion, Ajax would... (full context)

...be in the center, Achilles on the left, Odysseus on the right, and Diomedes and Ajax on the wings. These are prestigious positions. Some men are angry that Agamemnon has claimed... (full context)

...Because of that, Thetis worries that someone will kill Hector before Achilles, though soldiers like Ajax have already tried. Achilles knows that he can’t kill Hector, but sometimes he pictures it,... (full context)

...knows where Paris went. Hector then offered a second duel to set things right, and Ajax was selected from a random draw. The fight ended in a tie. Achilles is excited... (full context)

Phoinix, Odysseus, and Ajax come to Achilles’s tent, where Achilles is playing the lyre. They eat dinner, and afterwards,... (full context)

...He throws a torch directly on the deck, and it catches immediately. He smiles, and Ajax, on the same ship, screams. A spear pierces Ajax’s thigh—right through the muscle—and he falls. (full context)

...that no one will ever remember Achilles’s heroism—they’ll only remember this. He tells Achilles about Ajax and begs him not to let the Greeks die for Agamemnon’s madness. More ships burn... (full context)

...the last flame dies. Thetis and all the soldiers stand, impassive and tearless. A bandaged Ajax almost cries, but maybe he’s just glad that he’ll be promoted. Odysseus asks Thetis what... (full context)