Athenian coup of 411 BC state of Athens remained an anomaly, however, as the rest of the Greek city states were run either as tyrannies or, most often, by oligarchies. Both Thucydides and Aristotle wrote that "the revolution was provoked by defeat in Sicily." Despite the democracy in Athens, Greek tradition remained aristocratic, and the works of Homer celebrated an aristocratic world view, where the nobles made decisions and the commoners obeyed. The poems of Theognis of Megara (from the sixth century BC) and the Theban poet Pindar (of the fifth century BC) were popular among the Athenian nobles at this time, casting democracy as
The Contention of Ajax and Ulysses turning Ajax's bluster against him. Once the contenders withdraw, the generals decide to award Achilles' armor to Ulysses. The play's second scene is devoted to Ajax's madness: Ajax has lost his mind as a result of his defeat to Ulysses, and eventually commits suicide. The brief final scene shows Ajax's funeral. The Contention of Ajax and Ulysses The Contention of Ajax and Ulysses for the Armour of Achilles is a Caroline era stage play, an interlude written by James Shirley and first published in 1659. As its title indicates, the subject of the play is a staple of the classical