Ajax: The Ideal Greek Hero

Greek tragedy is littered with heroes, some famous and some nestled in the shadow of another hero. Nevertheless, Sophocles’ Ajax highlights the fall of the once great Greek hero Ajax, yet Teucer, Ajax’s half-brother, is left to be the play’s hero, as he steps out of the massive shadow Ajax had cast; moreover, Teucer proves himself to be a rather ideal Greek hero, by the standards of Ajax’s conception. Still, Sophocles focuses on Ajax failing as a hero, while placing Teucer in a position to offset Ajax’s failure. Immediately before and after the death of Ajax, Teucer demonstrates his heroic traits; fundamentally, he is loyal to his family, wants to help his friends, and wishes to hurt his enemies. Above all, Teucer is loyal to his family, as any exemplary Greek hero should be; undoubtedly he desires to save and protect Ajax, his brother and comrade. Similarly, Greek heroes aid their friends, and Treucer wants nothing more than to

Teucer is loyal to his family and friends, and he wants nothing more than to help them; accordingly, he is more than willing to hurt his enemies, Menelaus and Agamemnon, in order to achieve his goal, rightfully bury Ajax. If anything, Teucer is not to be underestimated or written off as a minor character by readers; in fact, he is worthy of their praise, due to his persistence to help Ajax and his family. Accordingly, he embodies the virtuous traits Ajax loses, and he stands up for what he believes in when the odds are against him. In the end, Teucer is left to clean up the mess Ajax left, but he does just that out of duty, as any other exceptional hero would. Then again, someone else, Odysseus, steals the spotlight from Teucer in the end as he convinces Agamemnon to let Ajax be buried; however, Teucer takes the steps and has the heart to be the hero to protect Ajax and his family long enough for the Greek kings to