Review: Ajax, Little Iliad

Ajax, Little Iliad Peacock Theatre HHHH

Just as Thucydides's account of the Peloponnesian War remains a standard text in political philosophy, Sophocles's dramas identify lingering connections between war and art. In Little Iliad, a soldier (Thom) on the eve of deployment to Afghanistan reconnects with his pacifist friend (Evan) after a 10-year gap. The Skype call is triggered by his discovery that stagings of Sophocles's Little Iliad are used by the US military to help readjustment after conflict.

Questioning the attraction of war, Thom's party-line defence is no match for Evan's reflection of Sophocles's text: in conflict, a "terrible equality" is created through the illusion of bravery and reward. Instead, war is given meaning through the death of comrades. Consequent post-traumatic stress disorder is further explored in Ajax through the eyes of survivors of the Peloponnesian War as they watch a re-enactment of the warrior's thirst for revenge and eventual suicide.

Both tragedies have been reimagined into succinct contemplations on the sickening appeal of the battle. Ends September 20