The Ajax of Sophocles, English and Greek

What it is

This is a printed edition of Sophocles' play Ajax, presenting the original ancient Greek text alongside an English translation, edited with notes by Richard Claverhouse Jebb and published in the late 19th century.

Why it matters

Ajax is one of Sophocles' surviving tragedies, drawing on the legend of the Trojan War hero. Editions like this one, with facing Greek and English text, allowed students and scholars without full command of ancient Greek to study his plays closely, keeping his work part of education centuries after it was written.

Look closer

• Why might publishers choose to print the original Greek alongside an English translation?
• What does the survival and continued printing of this play suggest about its importance to later readers?
• How might reading a play in translation differ from reading it in its original language?