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Six Tragedies
Here is a lively, readable, and accurate verse translation of the six best plays by one of the most influential of all classical Latin writers--the only tragic playwright from ancient Rome whose work survives. Tutor to the emperor Nero, Seneca lived through uncertain, oppressive, and violent times, and his dramas depict the extremes of human behavior. Rape, suicide, child-murder, incestuous love, madness, and mutilation afflict the characters, who are obsessed and destroyed by their feelings. Seneca forces us to think about the difference between compromise and hypocrisy, about what happens when emotions overwhelm judgment, and about how a person can be good, calm, or happy in a corrupt society and under constant threat of death. In addition to her superb translation, Emily Wilson provides an invaluable introduction which offers a succinct account of Seneca's life and times, his philosophical beliefs, the literary form of the plays, and their immense influence on European literature. The book also includes an up-to-date bibliography and explanatory notes which identify mythological allusions.
240 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 65
About the author
Seneca
2,319 books3,454 followersLucius Annaeus Seneca (often known simply as Seneca or Seneca the Younger); ca. 4 BC – 65 AD) was a Roman Stoic philosopher, statesman, and dramatist of the Silver Age of Latin literature. He was tutor and later advisor to emperor Nero, who later forced him to commit suicide for alleged complicity in the Pisonian conspiracy to have him assassinated.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews
April 24, 2018
Gore'd-up, horror-movie versions of the Greek classics. I missed some of the subtlety of the Greek originals, but his version of Trojan Women in particular was very powerful. Well worth reading, if for no other reason than to see that torture-porn is nothing new....
October 19, 2016
Bloody Roman versions of classical Greek tragedies
Seneca was tutor to Nero and we can see in these sometimes bizarre, but always compelling, tragedies an attempt to educate the young emperor in the lessons of good rulership: the fragility of power, the importance of clemency, the concern with the ethics of a good life (and death) reappear again and again.
But Seneca is also writing himself belatedly into an essentially Greek tradition, and the intertextual readings of epic and Athenian tragedy are crucial to an understanding of these plays. Negotiating the literary and cultural past, and the political (contemporary) present, Seneca creates something unique: frequently bloodthirsty, not very subtle, but always compelling.
This is the version of tragedy that had such a huge impact on the English Renaissance, not least Shakespeare. But these are still fascinating in their own right, and are the main extant examples of Roman tragedy.
So these are fascinating little gems of literary history: gory, frequently over-blown, and all the more engaging for that very reason.
Seneca was tutor to Nero and we can see in these sometimes bizarre, but always compelling, tragedies an attempt to educate the young emperor in the lessons of good rulership: the fragility of power, the importance of clemency, the concern with the ethics of a good life (and death) reappear again and again.
But Seneca is also writing himself belatedly into an essentially Greek tradition, and the intertextual readings of epic and Athenian tragedy are crucial to an understanding of these plays. Negotiating the literary and cultural past, and the political (contemporary) present, Seneca creates something unique: frequently bloodthirsty, not very subtle, but always compelling.
This is the version of tragedy that had such a huge impact on the English Renaissance, not least Shakespeare. But these are still fascinating in their own right, and are the main extant examples of Roman tragedy.
So these are fascinating little gems of literary history: gory, frequently over-blown, and all the more engaging for that very reason.
March 15, 2017
This is a collection of solid translations of good plays. Two plays in particular stand out as excellent: Medea and Thyestes. Seneca's Medea contains the best verse in this set of plays, and his depictions of Medea and Jason feel more fleshed out than they do in Euripides' version (on which I agree with the judges back in 431BC). However, Thyestes is clearly the best play in this collection. It contains wonderfully translated excellent verse and fully displays Seneca's depth of philosophical insight, which is lacking in some of the other plays here. Additionally, Thyestes seems to be the primary source of inspiration for (the inferior, but fascinating) Titus Andronicus. My university's library also has the old Elizabethan translations of all of the Senecan tragedies, which I might read at some point to study with greater depth Seneca's influence on Shakespeare and kin. I recommend this to anybody with an interest in Classical, Elizabethan, and Jacobean drama.
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May 17, 2023son bangs his mother, dad his own son devours
incest, a stabbed chest, and babes flung from towers
murderous madmen and cannibal kings
these are a few of my favorite things
incest, a stabbed chest, and babes flung from towers
murderous madmen and cannibal kings
these are a few of my favorite things
April 8, 2022
"and you, gods, listen too—wherever you have hidden."
April 8, 2024
so slay! and by slay i mean murder.
June 15, 2013
I surprised myself by giving this book 5 stars. What amazed me about these plays is just how underrated they are. Compared to the Greek tragedies, they are deemed inferior. But the anguish and pain that is expressed by the characters is powerful. The imagery that Seneca creates is vivid; such as Theseus' recollection of what hell was like when Hercules rescued him. Or how the earth seemed to open up when the ghost of Achilles demanded that Polyxena be executed on his grave.
Sure, it might be laughable today how Seneca seems to revel in gory details unlike the more restrained Greeks, but hey, that was the style in his day. (You know those whacky Romans!)
Besides, some readers might like the harsh reality of what it must be like to yank ones eyes from their sockets with your bare hands and to feel the actual "jelly". Eeewww.
This translation is easy to understand and is very elegant, but does not have the Octavia, which may not have been really written by Seneca. Also, one warning: if your knowledge of Greek and Roman mythology is not strong, you will find yourself constantly referring to the notes. Not that this is much of a problem, but it interrupts the reading...a lot.
Sure, it might be laughable today how Seneca seems to revel in gory details unlike the more restrained Greeks, but hey, that was the style in his day. (You know those whacky Romans!)
Besides, some readers might like the harsh reality of what it must be like to yank ones eyes from their sockets with your bare hands and to feel the actual "jelly". Eeewww.
This translation is easy to understand and is very elegant, but does not have the Octavia, which may not have been really written by Seneca. Also, one warning: if your knowledge of Greek and Roman mythology is not strong, you will find yourself constantly referring to the notes. Not that this is much of a problem, but it interrupts the reading...a lot.
February 18, 2019
پاول کارتلج در مقاله ای، سلطه مقدونیه بر یونان و اولیگارشی موقت ایجاد شده را تیر خلاصی بر بدنه بی جان تراژدی یونانی می داند و تراژدی رومی را کم اهمیت و سنت درام رومی را کاملا متاثر از کمدی نوین مناندر فرض میکند . اما این فرضیات کارتلج واقعیت ندارد، لیویوس آندرونیکوس، آکسیوس و سنکای پسر از جمله تراژدی نویس های مهم روم بودند و از طرف دیگر گفته شده که اووید یک تراژدی مدیای مشعور تدوین کرده و حتی ژولیوس سزار هم در دوره ای تراژدی نویسی را امتحان کرده بود. بنا به این شواهد در روم باستان تراژدی نیز اهمیت داشته است. هر چند ممکن است در آن دوره اهمیت تراژدی نویس ها به اندازه اهمیت کمدی نویس هایی مثل ترنس و پلوتوس نبوده باشد.
در بین چهل و دو تراژدی (نسبتا کامل) باقی مانده از دوره باستان، ده تراژدی مربوط به روم باستان است و در اینکه کدام یک از این نمایشنامه ها تالیف یا منسوب به سنکای پسر هستند، اختلاف زیادی وجود دارد. با این حال میشود با بررسی نکات مشترک بین این تراژدی ها فرض کرد که نمایشنامه هایی که نویسنده ناشناس دارند، حداقل تا حد زیادی متاثر از فلسفه و چهان بینی و سبک سنکا بوده اند.
نکته مهم دیگر این است که درصد خیلی زیادی از آثار ادبی روم باستان (چه تراژدی و چه حماسه و چه کمدی) مستقیما تحت تاثیر اساطیر و داستان های یونانی بودند. رومی ها لز خودشان سنت ادبی خاصی نداشتند و اکثر نویسنده ها با ترجمه آزاد آثار یونانی به زبان لاتین کارنامه خودشان را شروع کردند. معروف ترین اثر لیویوس آندرونیکوس ترجمه آزاد ادیسه از یونانی بوده و ویرژیل و اووید بهترین آثارشان را بر اساس اساطیر یونان تدوین کرده بودند. به همین شکل، بخش قابل توجهی از تراژدی ها و کمدی های روم باستان بر اساس داستان های یونانی تدوین شدند. دسته ای از نمایشنامه ها که بر اساس داستان های رومی نوشته شده بودند، اغلب به دلیل اینکه مستقیما به تحسین و مدح نبرد ها و جنگجویان رومی پرداخته بودند یا وقایع روز را بازگو میکردند، تاریخ مصرف داشته و به زودی فراموش میشدند. به همین دلیل از ده تراژدی باقیمانده از روم باستان نه اثر و از نزدیک به بیست و شش کمدی باقمیانده از روم باستان همگی بر اساس اساطیر و وقایع و نمایشنامه های یونانی نوشته شدند. و نکته مهم این است که (در خصوص آثار سنکا حداقل) اغلب در مقایسه با همتای یونانی خود تعریف و تحلیل و تفسیر میشوند. بنابراین من هم برای نوشتن در مورد سنکا از طریق مقایسه با آثار مشابه یونانی شروع میکنم.
در خوانش های اولیه آثار سنکا مهم ترین نکته ای که به چشم میخورد، غیاب خدایان است. در الاهگان انتقام آیسخولوس، آپولو و آتنا شخصا موجب رهایی اورستس را فراهم می آورند، در فیلوکتتس سوفوکلس، هرکول که اکنون خدایی است، برای حل رقابت های بین طرفین دعوا بر آنها ظاهر می شود و آثار اوریپیدس مملو از حضور خدایانی است که در لحظات حساس گره ها�� داستانی را باز میکنند یا قهرمان ها را رهایی میبخشند. خدایان در تراژدی های یونانی نیروهای پیشرانه اصلی برای پیشبرد روایت و ایجاد کردن گره ها یا باز کردن آنها در بازی سرنوشت رقم خورده برای کاراکتر ها هستند. شخصا بر کاراکترها ظاهر شده و شخصا دنیای داستانی را برای رسیدن به هدف خود دستخوش تغییر میکنند و بخش زیادی از انگیزه های کاراکتر ها در قالب تقدیر و الطاف خدایان و مفهوم “لزوم” تعریف میشود. اما در نمایشنامه های سنکا حضور خدایان به شدت کمرنگ میشود، تنها خدایی که مستقیما در روند داستانی نقش دارد، جونو (هرا) است که در ابتدای نمایشنامه هرکول خشمگین وارد می شود تا انگیزه های خود از دیوانه کردن هرکول را بیان کند. ارواح بازگشته از جهنم در نمایشنامه های سنکا، ما به ازای متافیزیکی خدایان در جهان داستانی اثر هستند، ارواحی که در تراژدی های بریتانیایی قرن هفده هم به چشم می خورند.
سنکا از پیروان فلسفه رواقی گری است و اخساسات گرایی و شهوت گرایی و میل به ثروت و قدرت را منبع تمامی شرها می داند، هرحا که در نمایشنامه های یونانی خدایان سرنوشت آدمی را به بازی کرفته اند و او را محکوم به سرنوشتی نامیمون کرده اند، در نمایشنامه های سنکا این دخالت های خدایان با انگیزه های انسانی جایگزین شده اند. فدرا و هیپولیت در نمایشنامه اوریپیدس قربانی رقابت بین افرودیت و آرتمیس هستند، اما در نمایشنامه سنکا قربانی عشق افراطی فدرا به هیپولیت می شوند. مدیا خود و دیگران را قربانی حسادت زنانه می کند. تیستس و اتئوکلس و نرو قربانی قدرت طلبی می شوند. گروه همسرایان در تمامی نمایشنامه های سنکا در نکوهش قدرت طلبی و ثروت اندوزی کاراکترها آوازهایی سر می دهند که عقاید رواقی سنکا را مستقیما بیان می کنند.
اما سنکا بر خلاف همتاهای یونانی خود، پیش از اینکه نمایشنامه نویس باشد، سخنور و فیلسوف و سیاستمدار است. برای اوریپیدس، هر چند تراژدی محملی برای ابراز نظرات سیاسی و احتماعی بود، اما ابراز این عقاید در پس زمینه روایت درام قرار می گرفتند و روایت در درجه اول قرار می گرفت. اما برای سنکا تراژدی نویسی مساوی با بیانیه نویسی و ابراز نظرات فلسفی و احتماعی و تجربیات او از امپراتور های روم است. کاراکترهای سنکا در میانه روایت ناگهان در مونولوگ هایی طولانی به بیان فلسفه رواقی او می پردازند. بر خلاف اوریپیدس که مونولوگ ها را کاهش داده بود و درصد دیالوگ های رقابت گونه (آگون) را افزایش داده بود، نمایشنامه سنکا از مونولوگ هایی طولانی تشکیل شده که در بدترین حالت، ریتم روایت را کاملا مختل می کنند (هرکول در اوتا مملو از این مونولوگ های کشدار و خسته کننده است) و در بهترین حالت، مجموعه ای از گزین گویه ها و ماکسیم های جذاب هستند که در نحوه اجرا دست کارگردان را باز می گذارند. (مونولوگ نهایی مدیا مجموعه ای از تصاویر و حالات گوناگون مدیا است که بر زبان او جاری می شود و احتمالا در صحنه نمایشنامه هم به تصویر کشیده می شوند).. در نظر تعدادی از محققین، تعداد زیاد این مونولوگ ها نشان می دهد که این نمایشنامه ها برای برخوانی نوشته شده اند نه به منظور اجرا روی صحنه.
برای خواننده ای که به تازگی از خوانش تراژدی های یونان باستان به سمت ��راژدی های سنکا آمده است، این ریتم ناهمگون و زمختی تراژدی رومی می تواند پس زننده باشد، اما تراژدی های سنکا همچون نامه ها و آثار آموزشی او مملو از آموزه های حکیمانه و تفکرات نوین در باب حکومت و قدرت طلبی است که می تواند عیب ناشی از ناتوانی سنکا در پرداخت دراماتیک را تا خد خوبی بپوشاند.
در بین چهل و دو تراژدی (نسبتا کامل) باقی مانده از دوره باستان، ده تراژدی مربوط به روم باستان است و در اینکه کدام یک از این نمایشنامه ها تالیف یا منسوب به سنکای پسر هستند، اختلاف زیادی وجود دارد. با این حال میشود با بررسی نکات مشترک بین این تراژدی ها فرض کرد که نمایشنامه هایی که نویسنده ناشناس دارند، حداقل تا حد زیادی متاثر از فلسفه و چهان بینی و سبک سنکا بوده اند.
نکته مهم دیگر این است که درصد خیلی زیادی از آثار ادبی روم باستان (چه تراژدی و چه حماسه و چه کمدی) مستقیما تحت تاثیر اساطیر و داستان های یونانی بودند. رومی ها لز خودشان سنت ادبی خاصی نداشتند و اکثر نویسنده ها با ترجمه آزاد آثار یونانی به زبان لاتین کارنامه خودشان را شروع کردند. معروف ترین اثر لیویوس آندرونیکوس ترجمه آزاد ادیسه از یونانی بوده و ویرژیل و اووید بهترین آثارشان را بر اساس اساطیر یونان تدوین کرده بودند. به همین شکل، بخش قابل توجهی از تراژدی ها و کمدی های روم باستان بر اساس داستان های یونانی تدوین شدند. دسته ای از نمایشنامه ها که بر اساس داستان های رومی نوشته شده بودند، اغلب به دلیل اینکه مستقیما به تحسین و مدح نبرد ها و جنگجویان رومی پرداخته بودند یا وقایع روز را بازگو میکردند، تاریخ مصرف داشته و به زودی فراموش میشدند. به همین دلیل از ده تراژدی باقیمانده از روم باستان نه اثر و از نزدیک به بیست و شش کمدی باقمیانده از روم باستان همگی بر اساس اساطیر و وقایع و نمایشنامه های یونانی نوشته شدند. و نکته مهم این است که (در خصوص آثار سنکا حداقل) اغلب در مقایسه با همتای یونانی خود تعریف و تحلیل و تفسیر میشوند. بنابراین من هم برای نوشتن در مورد سنکا از طریق مقایسه با آثار مشابه یونانی شروع میکنم.
در خوانش های اولیه آثار سنکا مهم ترین نکته ای که به چشم میخورد، غیاب خدایان است. در الاهگان انتقام آیسخولوس، آپولو و آتنا شخصا موجب رهایی اورستس را فراهم می آورند، در فیلوکتتس سوفوکلس، هرکول که اکنون خدایی است، برای حل رقابت های بین طرفین دعوا بر آنها ظاهر می شود و آثار اوریپیدس مملو از حضور خدایانی است که در لحظات حساس گره ها�� داستانی را باز میکنند یا قهرمان ها را رهایی میبخشند. خدایان در تراژدی های یونانی نیروهای پیشرانه اصلی برای پیشبرد روایت و ایجاد کردن گره ها یا باز کردن آنها در بازی سرنوشت رقم خورده برای کاراکتر ها هستند. شخصا بر کاراکترها ظاهر شده و شخصا دنیای داستانی را برای رسیدن به هدف خود دستخوش تغییر میکنند و بخش زیادی از انگیزه های کاراکتر ها در قالب تقدیر و الطاف خدایان و مفهوم “لزوم” تعریف میشود. اما در نمایشنامه های سنکا حضور خدایان به شدت کمرنگ میشود، تنها خدایی که مستقیما در روند داستانی نقش دارد، جونو (هرا) است که در ابتدای نمایشنامه هرکول خشمگین وارد می شود تا انگیزه های خود از دیوانه کردن هرکول را بیان کند. ارواح بازگشته از جهنم در نمایشنامه های سنکا، ما به ازای متافیزیکی خدایان در جهان داستانی اثر هستند، ارواحی که در تراژدی های بریتانیایی قرن هفده هم به چشم می خورند.
سنکا از پیروان فلسفه رواقی گری است و اخساسات گرایی و شهوت گرایی و میل به ثروت و قدرت را منبع تمامی شرها می داند، هرحا که در نمایشنامه های یونانی خدایان سرنوشت آدمی را به بازی کرفته اند و او را محکوم به سرنوشتی نامیمون کرده اند، در نمایشنامه های سنکا این دخالت های خدایان با انگیزه های انسانی جایگزین شده اند. فدرا و هیپولیت در نمایشنامه اوریپیدس قربانی رقابت بین افرودیت و آرتمیس هستند، اما در نمایشنامه سنکا قربانی عشق افراطی فدرا به هیپولیت می شوند. مدیا خود و دیگران را قربانی حسادت زنانه می کند. تیستس و اتئوکلس و نرو قربانی قدرت طلبی می شوند. گروه همسرایان در تمامی نمایشنامه های سنکا در نکوهش قدرت طلبی و ثروت اندوزی کاراکترها آوازهایی سر می دهند که عقاید رواقی سنکا را مستقیما بیان می کنند.
اما سنکا بر خلاف همتاهای یونانی خود، پیش از اینکه نمایشنامه نویس باشد، سخنور و فیلسوف و سیاستمدار است. برای اوریپیدس، هر چند تراژدی محملی برای ابراز نظرات سیاسی و احتماعی بود، اما ابراز این عقاید در پس زمینه روایت درام قرار می گرفتند و روایت در درجه اول قرار می گرفت. اما برای سنکا تراژدی نویسی مساوی با بیانیه نویسی و ابراز نظرات فلسفی و احتماعی و تجربیات او از امپراتور های روم است. کاراکترهای سنکا در میانه روایت ناگهان در مونولوگ هایی طولانی به بیان فلسفه رواقی او می پردازند. بر خلاف اوریپیدس که مونولوگ ها را کاهش داده بود و درصد دیالوگ های رقابت گونه (آگون) را افزایش داده بود، نمایشنامه سنکا از مونولوگ هایی طولانی تشکیل شده که در بدترین حالت، ریتم روایت را کاملا مختل می کنند (هرکول در اوتا مملو از این مونولوگ های کشدار و خسته کننده است) و در بهترین حالت، مجموعه ای از گزین گویه ها و ماکسیم های جذاب هستند که در نحوه اجرا دست کارگردان را باز می گذارند. (مونولوگ نهایی مدیا مجموعه ای از تصاویر و حالات گوناگون مدیا است که بر زبان او جاری می شود و احتمالا در صحنه نمایشنامه هم به تصویر کشیده می شوند).. در نظر تعدادی از محققین، تعداد زیاد این مونولوگ ها نشان می دهد که این نمایشنامه ها برای برخوانی نوشته شده اند نه به منظور اجرا روی صحنه.
برای خواننده ای که به تازگی از خوانش تراژدی های یونان باستان به سمت ��راژدی های سنکا آمده است، این ریتم ناهمگون و زمختی تراژدی رومی می تواند پس زننده باشد، اما تراژدی های سنکا همچون نامه ها و آثار آموزشی او مملو از آموزه های حکیمانه و تفکرات نوین در باب حکومت و قدرت طلبی است که می تواند عیب ناشی از ناتوانی سنکا در پرداخت دراماتیک را تا خد خوبی بپوشاند.
June 21, 2014
Seneca's tragedies are brutal. The destruction of bodies and souls is more awful in these plays than in their Greek counterparts, in my opinion. Seneca the Stoic sets forth humanity whose reason is overruled by passions, and he graphically illustrates the destruction wrought from such a failing. [Note: Read only some of these plays.]
June 7, 2019
Tragedies from the Greek and Roman tradition truly were the HBO of ancient days. Seneca's tragedies in particular are like short intense episodes of a hybrid between Black Mirror and Game of Thrones. Perhaps it would be better to say that all the stories that we know and love nowadays, derived in some way from ancient literary and oral traditions. This selection of tragedies should attract readers who have enjoyed Yorgos Lanthimos, George R.R. Martin's pseudo-subversive contribution to high fantasy (before the show ended atrociously and revealed how the wait for the remaining books won't be worthwhile), South Park, and if I go further back, Shakespeare. This should also attract readers who have enjoyed some of these classic stories indirectly, such as fans of Disney's Hercules, Troy AKA Brad Pitt, Eric Bana and Orlando Bloom's soft porn film, or those who have a mild awareness of Oedipus. I mean really, why resist reading short tragedies that will make your blood boil, and will leave you more devastated than six red weddings combined?
As for the translation, Emily Wilson declares her chosen poetic form in a short introduction and is consistent with her behavior. This choice results in a very enjoyable translation that will attract both newcomers and the academic folk who are craving for notes (those can be found at the end of the anthology).
Summing up, it is a must-read, as it has been for centuries.
As for the translation, Emily Wilson declares her chosen poetic form in a short introduction and is consistent with her behavior. This choice results in a very enjoyable translation that will attract both newcomers and the academic folk who are craving for notes (those can be found at the end of the anthology).
Summing up, it is a must-read, as it has been for centuries.
April 17, 2020
The 'Six Tragedies' are brilliantly grotesque plays which deal with the extremes of human behaviour: untrammelled power, lust and corruption. These are familiar Greek myths often with notable changes to their stories. These are also stories where passion rules over reason, as Phaedra says: 'What can reason do? Passion, passion rules'.
Seneca had a clear influence on Shakespeare and the Jacobean revenge tragedies. The three 'Fates' read as the three Witches (or Weird Sisters). Medea's lines could easily be confused for any line from a Lady Macbeth speech. To get revenge on her husband Jason who betrayed her, Medea kills their two children in an act of gruesome infanticide. In a speech Medea gives before committing this vile act she says 'exile all foolish female feare'. There are similarities here to Lady Macbeth's invocation: 'Come, you spirits / That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, / And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full / Of direst cruelty'. This is just one of many examples which highlight Seneca's influence on Shakespeare's plays.
I enjoyed this book for the myths alone, but reading it has also helped me to understand plays like 'Macbeth' more for observing the parallels between them.
Seneca was a Roman orator, philosopher and playwright. He was exiled by Caligula and then later brought back to Rome as Nero's adviser. These six tragedies are a reflection of the uncertain and violent times in which he was writing.
Seneca had a clear influence on Shakespeare and the Jacobean revenge tragedies. The three 'Fates' read as the three Witches (or Weird Sisters). Medea's lines could easily be confused for any line from a Lady Macbeth speech. To get revenge on her husband Jason who betrayed her, Medea kills their two children in an act of gruesome infanticide. In a speech Medea gives before committing this vile act she says 'exile all foolish female feare'. There are similarities here to Lady Macbeth's invocation: 'Come, you spirits / That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, / And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full / Of direst cruelty'. This is just one of many examples which highlight Seneca's influence on Shakespeare's plays.
I enjoyed this book for the myths alone, but reading it has also helped me to understand plays like 'Macbeth' more for observing the parallels between them.
Seneca was a Roman orator, philosopher and playwright. He was exiled by Caligula and then later brought back to Rome as Nero's adviser. These six tragedies are a reflection of the uncertain and violent times in which he was writing.
August 18, 2022
maybe if nero read this rome wouldntve been burnt down :( this was amazing but so incredibly gory. in the middle of reading, i watched the northman and i feel like they pair perfectly together. the theme of revenge and violence, especially towards a family member is so present in both. the plays examines those with excess amounts of power, saying that a tyrant is judged more harshly in the after life than when they are alive
trojan women and hercules furens are some of the best things i’ve ever read and i will be rereading very soon. absolutely obsessed with these and i am going to email the latin teach for next semester to see if this will be the text we’re translating and what some good sources are for learning more about these plays. i just got off the plane from ireland so lol hope this makes sense maybe i’ll edit this who knows
https://cj.camws.org/files/reviews/20...
https://web.archive.org/web/201503190...
https://www.theguardian.com/books/201...
trojan women and hercules furens are some of the best things i’ve ever read and i will be rereading very soon. absolutely obsessed with these and i am going to email the latin teach for next semester to see if this will be the text we’re translating and what some good sources are for learning more about these plays. i just got off the plane from ireland so lol hope this makes sense maybe i’ll edit this who knows
https://cj.camws.org/files/reviews/20...
https://web.archive.org/web/201503190...
https://www.theguardian.com/books/201...
December 3, 2022
This is a pretty solid collection of Seneca's plays. Seneca's influence on modern literature is surprising, but makes sense once one realizes the way Shakespeare imitated his structure of tragedy. In both, there is great emphasis on psychology, supernatural ghosts, and a study of guilt and the passions. These plays are incredibly violent, but also rather moving. Trojan Women may have been my favorite here. The translation is easy to follow, though it does feel a bit informal at times. Overall, a pretty good book!
October 6, 2018
Emily Wilson has an interesting introduction, and I enjoyed Seneca’s take on these tragedies.
September 24, 2018
Park Chan-wook, Quentin Tarantino, and John Carpenter are lightweight happy-go-lucky people compared to Seneca! This selection of plays, translated by the most excellent classicist Emily Wilson (lately of Homer's Odyssey translation fame), can be described with two words: dark & violent. Did I mention dark? If not, see his "Thyestes". But, I would also toss out one more word: bewitching.
Emily Wilson's introduction is one of the finest I've ever read of a classical author and their works. Her third sentence nails Seneca's tragedies: "Passion is constantly set against reason, and passion wins out" (p. vii). She says his characters "are obsessed and destroyed by their emotions: they are dominated by rage, ambition, lust, jealousy, desire, anger, grief, madness, and fear"" (p. vii). Seneca's tragedies are timeless, perhaps why they had such an impact on Elizabethan tragedy and can still serve us well today.
Wilson's translation choices make the at times dense Seneca flow smoothly, as a knife through ... well, you get the picture... Her translation is also melodic. I was reading Medea while listening to John Coltrane's "India". It was scary how well they synced up, with the cadence and emotional fury of the text.
As for Seneca, his first acts are amazing, in setting the tone and characters. Medea's was wonderful, and the opening by Juno (Hera) in Hercules Furens blew me away. I enjoyed all the plays. And, continuing my love of astronomy and ancient literature, I liked these lines from Medea when discussing those who first ventured far away from their shores on ships: "The constellations were still unknown, / and the bright stars with which heaven is painted / remained unused" (Medea, 2.309-311, p. 81).
This collection is well worth your time.
Emily Wilson's introduction is one of the finest I've ever read of a classical author and their works. Her third sentence nails Seneca's tragedies: "Passion is constantly set against reason, and passion wins out" (p. vii). She says his characters "are obsessed and destroyed by their emotions: they are dominated by rage, ambition, lust, jealousy, desire, anger, grief, madness, and fear"" (p. vii). Seneca's tragedies are timeless, perhaps why they had such an impact on Elizabethan tragedy and can still serve us well today.
Wilson's translation choices make the at times dense Seneca flow smoothly, as a knife through ... well, you get the picture... Her translation is also melodic. I was reading Medea while listening to John Coltrane's "India". It was scary how well they synced up, with the cadence and emotional fury of the text.
As for Seneca, his first acts are amazing, in setting the tone and characters. Medea's was wonderful, and the opening by Juno (Hera) in Hercules Furens blew me away. I enjoyed all the plays. And, continuing my love of astronomy and ancient literature, I liked these lines from Medea when discussing those who first ventured far away from their shores on ships: "The constellations were still unknown, / and the bright stars with which heaven is painted / remained unused" (Medea, 2.309-311, p. 81).
This collection is well worth your time.
January 7, 2015
Thyestes
4 stars for being an enjoyable read (by far superior to the translation I read several years back), -1 star for Atreus occasionally using awkwardly modern phrases like 'party-time!' which made me take a second to muse on Adore Delano of RuPaul's Drag Race fame. Not a very welcome distraction when you're reading about violent fraternal strife.
On the other hand, the Chorus has some excellent moments, in particular the end of Act IV where they describe in detail the midday night and the destruction of the zodiac.
Still, I feel what Ms. Wilson gains in readability she at times loses in grandeur; Seneca and Classical Tragedy in general is notoriously highfalutin [which... I just learned is not spelled with a final 'g'?] and while these mythological characters are indeed human first and foremost, that doesn't mean that their language must be earthy to be relatable.
4 stars for being an enjoyable read (by far superior to the translation I read several years back), -1 star for Atreus occasionally using awkwardly modern phrases like 'party-time!' which made me take a second to muse on Adore Delano of RuPaul's Drag Race fame. Not a very welcome distraction when you're reading about violent fraternal strife.
On the other hand, the Chorus has some excellent moments, in particular the end of Act IV where they describe in detail the midday night and the destruction of the zodiac.
Still, I feel what Ms. Wilson gains in readability she at times loses in grandeur; Seneca and Classical Tragedy in general is notoriously highfalutin [which... I just learned is not spelled with a final 'g'?] and while these mythological characters are indeed human first and foremost, that doesn't mean that their language must be earthy to be relatable.
December 23, 2019
Not a review, but rather a list of the six tragedies included in this volume: "Phaedra", "Oedipus", "Medea", "Trojan Women", "Hercules Furens", and "Thyestes".
I read all six works included here plus two others not included-"Agamemnon", and the unfinished, "Phoenissae". Moreover, amongst the many works that I read about Seneca and his plays, one of them offered a convincing argument for the idea that the 'plays' were/are mime scores. That is, that they are what Wagner would identify as 'total art works'-dance/mime, (which we do not know what it looked like) singing, instrumental accompaniment, narrator, actors and the production values available at the time. One of the possibilities of this idea is that a "play's" long 'speeches' were instead lyrics sung as mimes 'danced/illustrated' the text.
I read all six works included here plus two others not included-"Agamemnon", and the unfinished, "Phoenissae". Moreover, amongst the many works that I read about Seneca and his plays, one of them offered a convincing argument for the idea that the 'plays' were/are mime scores. That is, that they are what Wagner would identify as 'total art works'-dance/mime, (which we do not know what it looked like) singing, instrumental accompaniment, narrator, actors and the production values available at the time. One of the possibilities of this idea is that a "play's" long 'speeches' were instead lyrics sung as mimes 'danced/illustrated' the text.
June 2, 2021
Emily Wilson’s translation of the original Latin is excellent as usual. The only hang ups I have with it are the use of the word heaven for sky and god with a capital G for Zeus. Both of these choices will bring the idea of Christianity to the mind of anyone who is not familiar with the setting or the time in which Seneca wrote the plays.
Although, this is such a minor critique that it does not warrant the deletion of a star. I am a big fan of anything translated by Wilson.
I am rating the translation because the original is what it is, flaws and all. I love Senecan tragedy but many do not, for very valid reasons.
Although, this is such a minor critique that it does not warrant the deletion of a star. I am a big fan of anything translated by Wilson.
I am rating the translation because the original is what it is, flaws and all. I love Senecan tragedy but many do not, for very valid reasons.
April 25, 2014
As a big fan of Seneca's tragedies, I would not recommend Wilson's translation. I found several discrepancies within the translations and felt like there were many places where she really missed the mark, failing to capture the poetry and style of Seneca's writing (especially prevalent in Phaedra and Medea in this volume). My first preference is the Ahl, but Fitch is also a much better translation.
July 29, 2013
The plays are heavy-handed meditations on Stoic philosophy, particularly the costs of anger and revenge. Seneca also criticizes, not so obliquely, the rule of the Julio-Claudians by lecturing on the features of good rulership. If you want to understand the revenge plays of the Renaissance, you do have to read Seneca; the plays have some influence in the history of the mystery.
November 23, 2010
i don't like the translation.
December 11, 2011
I was horrified at the cruelty of Arteus to his brother, and yet I felt the tale of Medea with her obvious madness was the most tragic tale.
February 21, 2023
It goes without saying that any work still being read nearly 2000 years later is beyond any rating system. I disagree, however, with people who claim these suffer in comparison to those of Euripides due to Seneca's detailed depictions of gore, or his lesser sophistication. I actually think that is one of his strong points, as he is portraying actions that are inherently (and not gratuitously) gruesome and violent. To depict them in all their shudder-inducing realism provides the impact they deserve.
For me, the most prevalent weakness is Seneca's reliance on lengthy monologues delivering a litany of nearly every mythological story, or historical or geographical reference, known to the Greeks, as if each play was an academic exercise in recitation. While from a scholarly perspective each data point regarding ancient mythology and history may be welcomed for comparative analysis, they fail to engage on a dramatic level. Of course, since these plays might not have been written with performance in mind, perhaps Seneca actually intended them as a pseudo-instructional vehicle.
For me the highlight of this collection is Troades, and I think that is primarily because it deals with more realistic emotions and violence. It is grounded more in history than mythology, and even if the history has been mythologized the actual horrors of war being depicted are nevertheless more than believable. The killing of the enemy's offspring to prevent future enemies, and the taking of the enemy's wives and daughters as slaves and concubines, was a very real and common occurrence, and this play offers a wonderfully naturalistic examination of what is usually ignored in stories of war. In the other plays the emotions might be recognizably human, but the actions surrounding them are less so. Troades also does a much better job of having its characters interact, like actual people in an actual setting, rather than one character simply delivering a long monologue, followed by a chorus, then onto the next act. In this way, I find it much closer to modern drama in its ability to engage the audience, than Seneca's other works. Hercules furens was my least favorite of the six, with the longest tangents and the least meaningful interaction between characters.
One other point I really enjoyed is that with so much of Ancient Greek and Roman literature it all begins and ends with "the gods". And while all of that exists here as well, Seneca lets creep in certain moments of skeptic atheism that was undoubtedly prevalent all through the ages, despite the public displays of devotion. In Phaedra we have the Nurse pointing out that Cupid was merely an invention to rationalize or excuse people acting on their lust. In Troades, instead of delivering allusions to myriad myths, the Chorus offers a lengthy argument that death is the end, and there is no afterlife, no "kingdom of cruel Hades", which for me is a breath of fresh air.
Although there were occasional modern word choices that stood out obtrusively, the translation struck my admittedly-uneducated eye as both agreeably contemporary yet with a tone appropriate to the subject. That said, I do wish they had elected to make this collection more complete by including Phoenician women and Agamemnon.
For me, the most prevalent weakness is Seneca's reliance on lengthy monologues delivering a litany of nearly every mythological story, or historical or geographical reference, known to the Greeks, as if each play was an academic exercise in recitation. While from a scholarly perspective each data point regarding ancient mythology and history may be welcomed for comparative analysis, they fail to engage on a dramatic level. Of course, since these plays might not have been written with performance in mind, perhaps Seneca actually intended them as a pseudo-instructional vehicle.
For me the highlight of this collection is Troades, and I think that is primarily because it deals with more realistic emotions and violence. It is grounded more in history than mythology, and even if the history has been mythologized the actual horrors of war being depicted are nevertheless more than believable. The killing of the enemy's offspring to prevent future enemies, and the taking of the enemy's wives and daughters as slaves and concubines, was a very real and common occurrence, and this play offers a wonderfully naturalistic examination of what is usually ignored in stories of war. In the other plays the emotions might be recognizably human, but the actions surrounding them are less so. Troades also does a much better job of having its characters interact, like actual people in an actual setting, rather than one character simply delivering a long monologue, followed by a chorus, then onto the next act. In this way, I find it much closer to modern drama in its ability to engage the audience, than Seneca's other works. Hercules furens was my least favorite of the six, with the longest tangents and the least meaningful interaction between characters.
One other point I really enjoyed is that with so much of Ancient Greek and Roman literature it all begins and ends with "the gods". And while all of that exists here as well, Seneca lets creep in certain moments of skeptic atheism that was undoubtedly prevalent all through the ages, despite the public displays of devotion. In Phaedra we have the Nurse pointing out that Cupid was merely an invention to rationalize or excuse people acting on their lust. In Troades, instead of delivering allusions to myriad myths, the Chorus offers a lengthy argument that death is the end, and there is no afterlife, no "kingdom of cruel Hades", which for me is a breath of fresh air.
Although there were occasional modern word choices that stood out obtrusively, the translation struck my admittedly-uneducated eye as both agreeably contemporary yet with a tone appropriate to the subject. That said, I do wish they had elected to make this collection more complete by including Phoenician women and Agamemnon.
May 16, 2021
The only other Senecan translator I’m familiar with is Frank Justus Miller. He’s rather old fashioned and likes to thee and thou, but these plays are probably some of the few classical works that can bear that kind of thing. He’s certainly the better poet technically, but whether you prefer him or Wilson is probably a personal thing. I prefer Wilson. She writes with rhythm and a kind of supple strength. This is a line-by-line translation and it’s perhaps moot as to whether this is poetry or just rhythmic prose. Either way, it’s very good.
I’d read quite a few of the old Greek plays before it was borne in upon me that everything except for the spoken words are later additions by various editors. One thing I particularly liked about this edition is that Wilson gives you the speakers’ names and the act divisions and nothing else. Stage directions and those ridiculous scene divisions all stripped out. I recognise that a casual reader like me needs stage directions in something like Plautus because you need to know who can overhear what. You don’t need that with Seneca. It made clear some interesting features of the text that I would have missed if it were broken up. Like the chiastic structure of Act One of Phaedra: Speeches, conversation, stichomythia, conversation, speech. It’s also gives the wonderful effect of voices crying out in the darkness.
There seems to be some controversy over whether or not these were written to be staged or not. Either way, unlike all earlier plays they were not intended to be part of a religious festival. Is Seneca writing as part of a now lost tradition of non-religious drama, or is he innovating? These plays are chock-full of the most astounding descriptive passages and general unpleasantness, and are obviously an effective performance of some kind, whether by the actors or Seneca himself, but they don’t always work as drama as I recognise it. Is he doing something I don’t appreciate, or is he not the best playwright?
They only one which really pulls together theme, action, and character and creates a classic for all time is Trojan Women where, in the aftermath of the Trojan war everyone is trying to shift responsibility onto someone else.
I’d read quite a few of the old Greek plays before it was borne in upon me that everything except for the spoken words are later additions by various editors. One thing I particularly liked about this edition is that Wilson gives you the speakers’ names and the act divisions and nothing else. Stage directions and those ridiculous scene divisions all stripped out. I recognise that a casual reader like me needs stage directions in something like Plautus because you need to know who can overhear what. You don’t need that with Seneca. It made clear some interesting features of the text that I would have missed if it were broken up. Like the chiastic structure of Act One of Phaedra: Speeches, conversation, stichomythia, conversation, speech. It’s also gives the wonderful effect of voices crying out in the darkness.
There seems to be some controversy over whether or not these were written to be staged or not. Either way, unlike all earlier plays they were not intended to be part of a religious festival. Is Seneca writing as part of a now lost tradition of non-religious drama, or is he innovating? These plays are chock-full of the most astounding descriptive passages and general unpleasantness, and are obviously an effective performance of some kind, whether by the actors or Seneca himself, but they don’t always work as drama as I recognise it. Is he doing something I don’t appreciate, or is he not the best playwright?
They only one which really pulls together theme, action, and character and creates a classic for all time is Trojan Women where, in the aftermath of the Trojan war everyone is trying to shift responsibility onto someone else.
April 22, 2022
I have been fooled by Alexander Pope. His cursory upbraiding of Seneca’s dramatic abilities mirrored the opinion of his time: that Seneca was the anti-dramatist, the reciter with no sense or feeling for the stage. In some small respect this is true. The dramaturgy of Seneca’s tragedies is rarely advanced, and sometimes awkward. Consider the non-action of Theseus during Act Four of Hercules – on the page one might even forget his presence, until he speaks in anguish in the next act. But to place emphasis on the stagecraft of Seneca is to miss his quality. Where the Greek tragedies – particularly Euripides, from whom Seneca appears to take his model – rely so much on the interpersonal drama, Seneca’s is an internal idiom. Long, long soliloquies – some acts contain one extended speech alone – revealing the internal machinations of so many disturbed minds. His choral odes will then shift into the tenor of Augustan poetry. Modes Virgilian and Horatian, verses on wild country and cyclical existence, on beauty and life and death. Phaedra becomes so much less a drama about contesting gods (as in Euripides) and so much more a reflection on beauty and the foibles of beauty. Desire, in its ur-form. Hercules finds itself a broader and more cataclysmic setting: it is not merely a description of Hercules’ hubris and its punishment, but rather the universe counteracting a man who has bested it: the greatest of men can be brought down only by themselves. This becomes a frequent refrain: ‘high power is vulnerable to Fortune,’ expressed in so many metaphors. In one sense it is an idea to be rejected. Seneca seems unaware that the lowest in society are often beset by the worst ails (the idyllic farms of Virgil are not so real as Seneca might portray), but this moreover appears to be a personal expression. Seneca’s own exile was gained by his high position – and, indeed, his eventual death. Had he kept himself quiet and irrelevant, he might have remained safe and unbusy: for Seneca it is ambition that destroys men. Icarus and Phaeton are invoked several times. Their tale is his tale, and the substance of his tragedies.
December 7, 2023
Seneca's versions of the Greek tragedies of Thyestes, Medea, Oedipus and Phaedra transform drama into bloody spectacles that are spelled out in appalling detail. There is little action except for a final murder or two, and each tragic figure announces early on what will happen, so there's no doubt about the play's conclusion. Actual staging doesn't seem to have been primary with Seneca because his "big moments" are speeches with elaborate descriptions of plague or chronicles of the actions of his main characters' depraved ancestors, who have served up children to their parents as the main course at banquets. There's no evolution in thinking, no quandaries about "correct" action or even much interaction with other characters, which is probably why these plays are rarely acted (aside from their inherent gruesomeness).
Life in the Roman Empire during Seneca's life was hardly tranquil--displeasing the emperor could easily result in exile to some horrible empire outpost or worse, so it's hard to understand why a prominent stoic would write horrific plays as complement to his essays espousing moderation and mercy, unless after enjoying the bloody spectacles those in power might draw a conclusion about their own fates.
As for Wilson's translation, my only problem is that she tries too hard to render "ancient" language into modern colloquialisms, so that Oedipus at one point complains "It's no fun being ruler," making him sound like a typical student complaining about having to read these plays.
Life in the Roman Empire during Seneca's life was hardly tranquil--displeasing the emperor could easily result in exile to some horrible empire outpost or worse, so it's hard to understand why a prominent stoic would write horrific plays as complement to his essays espousing moderation and mercy, unless after enjoying the bloody spectacles those in power might draw a conclusion about their own fates.
As for Wilson's translation, my only problem is that she tries too hard to render "ancient" language into modern colloquialisms, so that Oedipus at one point complains "It's no fun being ruler," making him sound like a typical student complaining about having to read these plays.
January 28, 2020
This is a great collection of Seneca’s tragedies, translated in fine modern idiom by Emily Wilson, the author of a recent excellent translation of the “Odyssey.” It is tempting, and not inaccurate, to describe these tragedies as Tarantino’d versions of the Greek standards. Where the Greeks are often restrained, Seneca is lavish with gore, graphic violence, and vengeance ecstatically delivered. (All quite fitting for the age of Nero, to be sure, but it is unclear whether any of the tragedies were actually written under Nero.) Still, these plays are more than mere “updates” of the Greek canon. For Seneca, the familiar stories of Oedipus, Medea, and Hercules become a canvas for an original and poetic treatment of Stoic philosophy. In fact, so threaded through Greek myth, Seneca’s Stoicism is far more engaging than it is in his Letters to Lucilius, which, while more definitive, can be a chore to get through. Given the originality and the philosophical and poetic richness of these plays, it is no accident that a direct line connects them with the Elizabethan revenge drama, very much including Hamlet. (On that direct line, see T.S. Eliot’s “Seneca in Elizabethan Translation” (1927) and “Shakespeare and the Stoicism of Seneca” (1927).)
July 2, 2022
I studied four plays: Oedipus, Medea, Trojan Women, and Agamemnon. Seneca's language is brilliant and sensual, even electric at times—perhaps some of the most modernistic poetry of the classical era—but his craftsmanship is nowhere near that of the Greeks because he is hampered by his lascivious, decadent Roman milieu. There are hardly any worthwhile takeaways except the wild ride to doom. But it remains an exhilarating ride, and these plays are pivotal glimpses of the essence of Roman culture, along with what prevented them from really achieving literary immortality. If you only read one, make it Medea. It's a bone-chilling horror show that is utterly and completely over the top, utterly lacking Euripides' dignified touch, but even though you know you shouldn't enjoy it, you probably will.
December 12, 2017
As a playwright, Seneca was a fine poet (aside from being the greatest philosopher who ever lived). I speak as a major admirer of his philosophical word.
The fact is that his verses are excellent, beautifully crafted, but often the plot is obscured in a torrent of laments, invocations, proclamations and elegies. And Seneca, for all his genius, cannot write dialogues - so that you either have nearly infinite justifications and circumlocution, or statements that are so terse that become ambiguous or unintelligible. It does make you miss Euripides's versions, for their sheer dramatic force and much easier to follow plot.
The fact is that his verses are excellent, beautifully crafted, but often the plot is obscured in a torrent of laments, invocations, proclamations and elegies. And Seneca, for all his genius, cannot write dialogues - so that you either have nearly infinite justifications and circumlocution, or statements that are so terse that become ambiguous or unintelligible. It does make you miss Euripides's versions, for their sheer dramatic force and much easier to follow plot.
July 23, 2020
I had read a couple of these before, but most were new to me. Although I don't necessarily think these would work too well as plays in performance now without quite a bit of adapting (due to changing conventions of theatrical performance and how plays are written), as texts to be read they were absolutely brilliant. Even with no extra reading or research, the influence they had on Shakespeare's writing is clear, and I'm really looking forward to studying these in the original in a few months. The translation was for the most part very very good, and captured the tone and register of Seneca's Latin well.
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