Aias

This edition presents Sophocles's play in a fresh English translation by James Scully, a poet who has won awards for his work. Aias is one of only seven of Sophocles's tragedies to survive, and it stands among the best-known plays from classical Athens.

The title character is a warrior who comes home from the Trojan War victorious, yet he finds that the purpose that gave his life direction has slipped away. The drama turns on that loss and on the question of what a person is left with once the thing that defined him is gone.

Though it was written thousands of years ago, the play still feels urgent and relevant. Presented for a new generation of readers, it brings Sophocles back to life.