# Ajax — Troilus and Cressida character guide > Ajax in Troilus and Cressida by William Shakespeare. **Role:** supporting **Also known as:** the dull brainless Ajax, Ajax Dog, Ajax Thersites, Ajax Mistress Thersites, Ajax You dog, The unknown Ajax, Ajax Ay, Ajax Cobloaf, Ajax A, Ajax Toadstool, Ajax Do, Lord Ajax **First appearance:** 0005-act-i-scene-iii ## Snapshot A mountain of muscle with a molehill of wit, Ajax is the Greeks' bludgeon — prized for the arm that smashes Trojans, mocked for the brain that can't follow a proclamation. ## Who they are Ajax exists in the Greek camp as pure, purchasable force: Thersites sneers that he is 'bought and sold among those of any wit, like a barbarian slave,' and even his own side treats him as a draught-ox yoked to Ulysses' schemes. His defining tension is that he knows he is being used and cannot articulate it, so he answers every insult with his fists — beating Thersites, roaring for Troilus, forever proving the fool's charge that 'he knows not himself.' When the Greek command elevates him to duel Hector, his bruised vanity becomes a weapon they can aim, making him the living proof of a war run on appetite rather than merit. ## Relationships ### [Troilus](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/troilus_and_cressida_se/characters/troilus) _rivalry_ Ajax and Troilus are fierce opponents on the battlefield, with Ajax representing Greek brute force against Troilus's Trojan valor. ### [Pandarus](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/troilus_and_cressida_se/characters/pandarus) _social_ Ajax and Pandarus have limited direct interaction, likely as opposing figures in the Trojan War context. ### [Cressida](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/troilus_and_cressida_se/characters/cressida) _social_ Ajax and Cressida have minimal direct interaction, likely as distant figures in the war narrative. ### [Helenus](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/troilus_and_cressida_se/characters/helenus) _rivalry_ Ajax and Helenus are enemy combatants, with Ajax representing Greek aggression against the Trojan prophet. ### [Hector](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/troilus_and_cressida_se/characters/hector) _rivalry_ Ajax and Hector are legendary opponents who engage in single combat, representing the peak of Greek and Trojan martial prowess. ### [Troilus](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/troilus_and_cressida_se/characters/troilus) _rivalry_ Ajax and Troilus are fierce opponents on the battlefield, with Ajax representing Greek brute force against Troilus's Trojan valor. ### [Troilus](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/troilus_and_cressida_se/characters/troilus) _rivalry_ Ajax and Troilus are fierce opponents on the battlefield, with Ajax representing Greek brute force against Troilus's Trojan valor. ### [Pandarus](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/troilus_and_cressida_se/characters/pandarus) _social_ Ajax and Pandarus have limited direct interaction, likely as opposing figures in the Trojan War context. ### [Cressida](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/troilus_and_cressida_se/characters/cressida) _social_ Ajax and Cressida have minimal direct interaction, likely as distant figures in the war narrative. ### [Pandarus](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/troilus_and_cressida_se/characters/pandarus) _social_ Ajax and Pandarus have limited direct interaction, likely as opposing figures in the Trojan War context. ### [Helenus](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/troilus_and_cressida_se/characters/helenus) _rivalry_ Ajax and Helenus are enemy combatants, with Ajax representing Greek aggression against the Trojan prophet. ### [Hector](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/troilus_and_cressida_se/characters/hector) _rivalry_ Ajax and Hector are legendary opponents who engage in single combat, representing the peak of Greek and Trojan martial prowess. ## In the story ### [Scene II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/troilus_and_cressida_se/chapters/act-i-scene-ii) Described by Alexander as a complex, contradictory man who struck down Hector in battle. ### [Scene III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/troilus_and_cressida_se/chapters/act-i-scene-iii) Greek warrior whom Ulysses and Nestor plan to put forward as Hector's opponent to diminish Achilles. ### [Scene I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/troilus_and_cressida_se/chapters/act-ii-scene-i) Engages in a violent quarrel with Thersites, demanding to learn the proclamation; is mocked for his dullness. ### [Scene III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/troilus_and_cressida_se/chapters/act-ii-scene-iii) Angry at Achilles' pride, easily manipulated by Ulysses and Nestor into believing he is superior. ### [Scene III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/troilus_and_cressida_se/chapters/act-iii-scene-iii) Mentioned as the champion chosen to fight Hector, and is mocked by Thersites for his vanity. ### [Scene V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/troilus_and_cressida_se/chapters/act-iv-scene-v) Fights Hector but the combat is stopped; he embraces Hector as a cousin and invites him to the Greek tents. ### [Scene VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/troilus_and_cressida_se/chapters/act-v-scene-vi) Challenges Troilus and later captures Aeneas. ### [Scene IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/troilus_and_cressida_se/chapters/act-v-scene-ix) Acknowledges Hector's death but insists that Hector was as great a man as Achilles. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/troilus_and_cressida_se/characters/ajax - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/troilus_and_cressida_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/troilus_and_cressida_se/characters