From 1890 Headlam concentrated much of his work on the ancient Greek tragedian
Aeschylus, publishing translations and papers on his plays. Headlam gained his
MA in 1891, and was awarded the degree of DLitt in 1903. In 1906 he applied for the post of
Regius Chair of Greek, one of the oldest
Professorships at the
University of Cambridge, the chair having been founded by
Henry VIII in 1540. Shy by nature, to his discomfort his application required that he should deliver a public lecture, which he gave on the second chorus of
Aeschylus'
Agamemnon. Although Headlam did not gain the post he admired the successful candidate, the
Classicist Henry Jackson. Deeply interested in
textual criticism, "in order to elucidate difficult passages he read exceptionally widely in Greek texts of the classical and post-classical periods". Apart from his translations from Greek into English Headlam also wrote English verse. Many of these were collected by his brother
Cecil Headlam and published in 1910. In addition, Walter Headlam wrote articles for the 1911
Encyclopædia Britannica, signing his work "W. G. H." A friend was
Virginia Woolf, with whom he had a "brief flirtation". Just before his death he gave a course of lectures in London, and was preparing a series to be given in Cambridge on
Greek Ideas. Walter George Headlam died suddenly in
St George's Hospital in London in June 1908 from 'an accidental twist of an intestine' after having been taken ill in a hotel. He was buried at Wycliffe in Yorkshire, the home of his mother's family. He planned to publish a full edition of the plays of Aeschylus but his death prevented its completion. However, he left
annotated copies of the text which have been used since by scholars.
Martin Litchfield West wrote of Headlam, "Many of his conjectures were injudicious, but at their best they have a profundity and elegance that
Wilamowitz seldom if ever achieved". ==Published works==