The Best Translation of Ajax
Ajax was written in Ancient Greek. 2 recommended editions, ranked — with Gröblé’s verdict on which to read first.
Robert Fagles
Penguin Classics · 1984
Fagles brings his usual muscle and Ajax's rage lands in modern English. Part of his Sophocles collection, not the Theban Plays volume, despite the cover confusion.
Every recommended edition, compared
The Loeb with facing-page Greek. Lloyd-Jones is meticulous and literal, set up to follow the original line by line. The version to keep open beside a more readable one.
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Reading Ajax in translation
Ajax was written in Ancient Greek, so unless you read Ancient Greek, the translator decides the book you actually experience — its register, its pace, how it sounds read aloud. Two editions of the same work can feel like different books.
The ranking above is Gröblé’s: one reader’s verdict on which English gets you closest, not a publisher’s blurb. Start with the top pick; reach for the others when you want a different angle on the original.