Altitude North Theatre Company

"Some wars are unavoidable and need to be fought, but this doesn't erase warfare's waste. Sorry, we must say to the mothers whose sons will die horribly. This will never end. Sorry"

Anthony Swofford , Jarhead (2004)

Why do young soldiers have to die every day? How many deaths must we witness? What kind of political agenda is more important than human life? Alongside the army discipline, in closed same-sex environments, there is a kind of suffocation, which does unlock diverse distinctive sensitivities. That is why there is always a kind of unresolved tension but also the development of family bonds within the barracks.

Ajax, besides his wife Tecmessa and their child, has another family: his men at the barracks. If Ajax dies, his men have each other to share their grief.

Tecmessa and her child have nobody. Eventually, Ajax dies but not from another soldier's sword, but from his own. After failing to win Achilles' armour, Ajax feeling betrayed and having acknowledged the injustice of the Greek generals, he wants to restore his honour and goes to attack his fellow Greeks. Blinded by Athena, he manages to kill only sheep and cattle. To die with honour, is the only thing left for him. Even after his death, his enemies seek revenge and their hatred does not allow his body to be buried. His brother Teucer shouts, "How easily men forget what they owe the dead and then betray them". Suicide is a difficult subject matter in any society. The Christian Orthodox church refuses to allow a religious burial ceremony for those who have committed suicide. Thus, the conversations about Ajax's burial have a poignant significance in Greek society, even today.

Ajax's troubled journey and his last hours constitute only part of his tragedy. His relationship with his father is another motif in the development of the play, also shared by the soldiers of the chorus. The show is about human and family relationships, honour and revenge and the loneliness of the soldier fighting abroad.

altitudenorth
	AJAX Cyprus Tour Dates 27 July 2007 Ancient Odeon, Paphos 29 July 2007 Curium Ancient Theatre, Limassol 30 July 2007 Makarios III Amphitheatre, Nicosia Programme Notes "Some wars are unavoidable and need to be fought, but this doesn't erase warfare's waste. Sorry, we must say to the mothers whose sons will die horribly. This will never end. Sorry" Anthony Swofford , Jarhead (2004) Why do young soldiers have to die every day? How many deaths must we witness? What kind of political agenda is more important than human life? Alongside the army discipline, in closed same-sex environments, there is a kind of suffocation, which does unlock diverse distinctive sensitivities. That is why there is always a kind of unresolved tension but also the development of family bonds within the barracks. Ajax, besides his wife Tecmessa and their child, has another family: his men at the barracks. If Ajax dies, his men have each other to share their grief. Tecmessa and her child have nobody. Eventually, Ajax dies but not from another soldier's sword, but from his own. After failing to win Achilles' armour, Ajax feeling betrayed and having acknowledged the injustice of the Greek generals, he wants to restore his honour and goes to attack his fellow Greeks. Blinded by Athena, he manages to kill only sheep and cattle. To die with honour, is the only thing left for him. Even after his death, his enemies seek revenge and their hatred does not allow his body to be buried. His brother Teucer shouts, "How easily men forget what they owe the dead and then betray them". Suicide is a difficult subject matter in any society. The Christian Orthodox church refuses to allow a religious burial ceremony for those who have committed suicide. Thus, the conversations about Ajax's burial have a poignant significance in Greek society, even today. Ajax's troubled journey and his last hours constitute only part of his tragedy. His relationship with his father is another motif in the development of the play, also shared by the soldiers of the chorus. The show is about human and family relationships, honour and revenge and the loneliness of the soldier fighting abroad. George Rodosthenous Director

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