This article begins by examining the two mentions of the polis in Sophocles' Ajax, using them to open up the wider question of to what extent the values found in the play can be said to be specifcally democratic. It goes on to argue that to understand the political aspects of this and other tragedies, we need to take into account the diverse composition of their audiences – in particular, the presence of non-Athenians, and of women, who have tended to be neglected by recent accounts of classical tragedy.