Six Tragedies

Phaedra * Oedipus * Medea * Trojan Women * Hercules Furens * Thyestes Seneca's plays are the product of a sensational frightening and oppressive period of history. Tutor to the emperor Nero Seneca lived through uncertain and violent times and his dramas depict the extremes of human behaviour. Rape suicide child-killing incestuous love madness and mutilation afflict the characters who are obsessed and destroyed by their feelings. Passion is constantly set against reason and passion wins out. Seneca forces us to think about the difference between compromise and hypocrisy about what happens when emotions overwhelm judgement and about how if at all a person can be good calm or happy in a corrupt society and under constant threat of death. Seneca was one of the most prolific versatile and influential of all classical Latin writers and the only tragic playwright from ancient Rome whose work survives. This new edition of his six best plays captures Seneca's style in a verse translation that is both lively and accurate. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features including expert introductions by leading authorities helpful notes to clarify the text up-to-date bibliographies for further study and much more.

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• ISBN Six Tragedies 288 pages English