Odysseus and Ajax
My friends, as you may know, Achilles perished in the last days of the Trojan war. Agamemnon declared that Achilles's arms would thenceforth belong to he who had best served the Argive cause. But even the great Diomedes dared not contest for so lofty a prize, and so it was that Aias of Telamon and Odysseus alone dared assert their worthiness for this treasure.
Aias spoke first. “Odysseus fights with pretty words, but actions speak with louder words. Who fought Hector and drove him from the field? I did! Who stopped the Trojans from burning our ships when they came to burn our ships? I did! Who killed Acamas, Epicles, Calator, and other nameless knights? I did! So who deserves this boon? I did! I do!”
Odysseus stood up. “Our thanks to noble Aias, for speech so quick and merciful. If strength of arms alone would mark the worth of men, why hail, most awful prince!
“'Tis true, my deeds on field are not so great as yours, mighty spear shaker, and far fewer of fabled name have I struck down. If strength of arms alone would mark the worth of man, then hail, most awful prince! Yet you'll agree that he whose armor we contest would rank far greater than us both.
“Oh, Achilles! Would we have no need of this display! Your mother Thetis sought to shield you from this death on Trojan plain, and when Aias came to bring you here, she said `Quick my son, and don this girlish garb to so confound the mighty Telamon!' And in this guise was Aias much befuddled. Who could help him sort out man from maiden? Oh, that would be me.
“And 'tis true, my words wound less than bronze-tipped spear. But when heaven deluded Agamemnon called retreat, loyal Aias was the first to raise his sail, and set for home with naught to show for ten years struggle. Yet fate foretold we would prevail should we stay true. Who could rouse the Greeks to stay the course and win the promised prize? Oh. that would be me.
“'And 'tis true, the terrible Aias drove the noble Hector from the field, to safe refuge beyond the walls of Troy. But batter though he might against the walls, no breach could he devise. Who could craft a clever plan to enter Troy unseen and loose the gates of Ilium? Oh, that would be me.
“And so, my lords assembled, Aias deserves not this prize. And neither do I. For in this, our joint endeavor, we each bring forth what suits us best: we fight, we build, we plan, and he who would stand above would stand alone.”
So swayed, the judges awarded the armor to Odysseus. Upon hearing this decision, Aias drew his dagger and railed at Odysseus. “You have stolen my rightful prize by pretty words! Would you take even this from me, and boast that you have bested Aias? All bear witness, then, that none but Aias may Aias defeat!” And with these words, Aias plunged the knife into his heart and fell dead at the feet of Odysseus and the judges.
As he regarded Aias's body, Odysseus said: “Had I but known what rash response would victory bring, sooner would I lose this bout than win this loss. When store is set by weight of gaudy trinkets won and empty titles thus acquired, then stage prepared for wasteful end.”
In time, Odysseus would learn the full measure of Aias's death. But that is a story for another day; this one is complete.
Notes
If you have school-age children, you know about bullying. It's not just bigger and stronger kids pushing around smaller and weaker kids; cyberbullying is also a big issue. I won't weigh into that particular issue. However, there is another type of bullying that rarely draws any attention---intellectual bullying. It's the type of bullying that occurs when someone is smarter than the people around them...and they make sure everyone knows it. In the old days, it didn't happen too often, because the physical and emotional bullies kept the intellectual bullies in check: go too far, and you'd end up with your head in a toilet. But with the physical and emotional bullying monitored constantly, the intellectual bullying is bound to become a lot more prevalent. What's particularly insidious is that many people have been on the receiving end of the physical and emotional bullying because of their intelligence. Thus "turnabout is fair play," and many of them see nothing wrong with intellectual bullying. Thus, they're ready to crack down (justifiably) on physical and emotional bullying, but tend to rationalize intellectual bullying as harmless.
Hence this story, which continues my love-hate relationship with Odysseus, who is an intellectual bully: he's smarter than everyone around him, and he has to make sure everyone knows it. And, while I believe Odysseus actually deserves to win, how you win is almost as important as the fact of victory itself (compare Devil's Deal, written around the same time): you should win because you are better, and not because your opponent is worse.