Tripled Silence in the Final Tableau of Ajax

Abstract: This paper draws attention to the remarkable composition and effects of the family tableau staged in the final scenes of Sophocles' Ajax . Ajax, Tecmessa, and Eurysaces each perform an expressive, character-driven silence through a different type of dramaturgical silence, showcasing the technical creativity of the poet. Sophocles positions these three mute figures to resist the closural suggestions promoted by the three speaking actors playing Agamemnon, Teucer, and Odysseus, and to complement other subtle disruptions of the exodos.