The topic of the thesis is epistemic certainty and uncertainty in Sophocles’ Ajax. Epistemic certainty refers to the quality of a character’s knowledge. I coined the term to describe the aspects of the play which seemed to explain this gap between Ajax’s actual and perceived character. Ajax is typically assessed by scholars as a character who makes decisions purely on the basis of self-assertion in the pursuit of glory. My thesis challenges this view, which has become a point of near-consensus among scholars. This effort differs from other studies of the Ajax in that it acknowledges the existence of both paradigms of action and personality: based either on the reason or the will. I conclude that Ajax acts on the basis of reason, but misleads other characters (and the audience) because of the dynamics of epistemic certainty and uncertainty. I view the Ajax as deliberately thematizing these dynamics of knowledge for the sake of provoking reflective thinking and discussion about this phenomenon in the play’s audience. At the same time, it pursues this investigation while preserving the expanded scope of recent works on the Ajax to include its implications for the play’s marginal characters, particularly Tecmessa and the Chorus. To that end, the investigation encompasses the entirety of the play while still addressing a major aspect of criticism concerning Ajax himself. Meanwhile, I describe how these two planes of engagement, that is, being epistemically certain or uncertain, mimic the condition of theatre-goers (or readers) as they move from being an audience member, an objective observer, to someone implicated in the action of their own lives once the play has ended. / Thesis / Master of Arts (MA) / The topic of the thesis is epistemic certainty and uncertainty in Sophocles’ Ajax. Epistemic certainty refers to the quality of a character’s knowledge. I chose the topic because I was curious about the assessment of Ajax among scholars as a character who makes decisions purely on the basis of self-assertion in the pursuit of glory. The topic thus challenges what has become a point of near-consensus among scholars. This effort differs from other studies of the Ajax in that it acknowledges the existence of both paradigms of action and personality: based either on the reason or the will. It pursues this investigation while preserving the expanded scope of recent works on the Ajax to include its implications for the play’s marginal characters, particularly Tecmessa and the Chorus. To that end, the investigation encompasses the entirety of the play while still addressing a major aspect of criticism concerning Ajax himself.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:mcmaster.ca/oai:macsphere.mcmaster.ca:11375/23729 |
| Date | January 2018 |
| Creators | Williams, Sean |
| Contributors | Mattison, Kathryn, Classics |
| Source Sets | McMaster University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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