Why Is Aias Defeated Instead Of The Atreidai

In Aias, the most profound enemies Aias has are the Atreidai. The Atreidai are comprised of the brothers, Menelaus and Agamemnon, who rule their lands and army during the Trojan War. Aias has conflicts with them because of their different levels of commitment to heroic ethic, which ultimately leads to Aias’ suicide. If Aias is supposed to be the protagonist of the story, why is he the one defeated instead of the Atreidai? I will argue that in Aias the Atreidai’s corrupt rule persists while Aias dies because Aias’ overvalued perception of the heroic ethic makes him unable to rise up against the Atreidai. The enemies fall on either end of the spectrum when it comes to the heroic ethic. While Aias believes in the heroic ethic wholeheartedly, the

This same heroic ethic instills fear in the Atreidai because it threatens their power. This is why the Atreidai do not want to give Aias a proper burial. A proper burial implies the warrior is an ally and not an enemy, which the Atreidai do not see Aias as (line 1267). To give him a proper burial encourages Aias’ example “to deny the need for obedience” (line 1195) in the Atreidai’s eyes. The Atreidai instead want to present Aias as a “dangerous enemy” and “traitor” as they see him (lines 1172-1173). However, the rejection of a proper burial for Aias evokes the opposite effect in part of the army as seen when the chorus tells Menelaus to “not outrage the dead” (line 1220), defending Aias rather than condemning him. With the chorus as his first wave of support, Aias could have rallied more of the troops when alive to overthrow the Atreidai he loathed so much. However, the dedication to the heroic ethic that makes Aias a hero ultimately causes his downfall. While he is honorable in his battles and sees the corruption and shamelessness of the Atreidai, Aias is blinded by his own shame, unable to see the potential for change he could have brought about if he had lived. He is supposed to be the hero but instead falls short, thus revealing how overvaluing the heroic ethic can cause more harm than