Classics

Six Tragedies

Six Tragedies

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  • Create Date：2021-05-09 10:55:42
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
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  • Author：Seneca
  • ISBN：0192807064
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Summary

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。

About the Series: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the broadest spectrum 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， voluminous notes to clarify the text， up-to-date bibliographies for further study， and much more。

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Reviews

Lulu ，

c。 50 CE PhaedraThyestes

Martin Winter ，

To be honest， I quite struggle with reading plays in general but ancient plays introduce a different level of difficulty， as it is written more like a monologue often and references tons of ancient gods with tons of allegory， so I do not give full marks here。

Theo J。 ，

Proto-gothic， brutal， violent and at times hilarious。 These plays incorporate his views on Anger and it's destructive capabilities。 Proto-gothic， brutal， violent and at times hilarious。 These plays incorporate his views on Anger and it's destructive capabilities。 。。。more

podzo ，

Six plays full of gore/ incest/ revenge/infanticide/madness that truly made my jaw drop at some of the shocking brutality。 Came to this book not as a scholar， but because I loved Emily Wilson's translation of The Odyssey。 Six plays full of gore/ incest/ revenge/infanticide/madness that truly made my jaw drop at some of the shocking brutality。 Came to this book not as a scholar， but because I loved Emily Wilson's translation of The Odyssey。 。。。more

Ruth Lee ，

Intense， full of emotions。 Seneca offered wonderful insights into human psyche。 The language is also dark， grotesque， graphic， I don’t mean to throw out three adjectives in a row but I almost feel like watching the best indie thriller of the year and I can’t come up a better way to describe it。 I liked Emily Wilson’s new translation。 I wanted to get a copy of her new Odyssey work。I preferred reading the lines out loud rather than skimming through in silence。 It made me feel for the plot but also Intense， full of emotions。 Seneca offered wonderful insights into human psyche。 The language is also dark， grotesque， graphic， I don’t mean to throw out three adjectives in a row but I almost feel like watching the best indie thriller of the year and I can’t come up a better way to describe it。 I liked Emily Wilson’s new translation。 I wanted to get a copy of her new Odyssey work。I preferred reading the lines out loud rather than skimming through in silence。 It made me feel for the plot but also annoyed（ or amused） those around me。 。。。more

Rose Annable ，

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。 Th 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。 。。。more

Alex Thomas ，

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 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。 。。。more

Ilya ，

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 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）。） 。。。more

Elisa ，

和善良的希腊人比起来，真是充满恶意啊。。。Trojan Women尤其受不了。。。不过从现代人的眼光看还是挺高能的，让人又害怕又兴奋

David Rodolfo ，

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 fant 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。 。。。more

Ruby ，

I liked this！ Trojan Women （the one play we didn't have to read for class haha） was probably my favourite， just had such drama and strength and was just v interesting！ Quite gory good lord， but very interesting characters; all passionate and tragic and strong， makes for a good read！I can't say much about the translation because I haven't read other versions， but this was a set textbook for our classics myth class so I trust the lecturer's judgement on that haha。But yes， I liked it！ Ancient trage I liked this！ Trojan Women （the one play we didn't have to read for class haha） was probably my favourite， just had such drama and strength and was just v interesting！ Quite gory good lord， but very interesting characters; all passionate and tragic and strong， makes for a good read！I can't say much about the translation because I haven't read other versions， but this was a set textbook for our classics myth class so I trust the lecturer's judgement on that haha。But yes， I liked it！ Ancient tragedies are very fun & dramatic！ I can see why we still study them！ 。。。more

Jinny Webber ，

It was about time I actually read Seneca， and I liked Emily Wilson's The Odyssey， so went with her translation。 Her introduction is excellent， the translation lively--and I learned to what extent Seneca influenced Shakespeare: not much in the matter of dramatic form。 Credit Marlowe for that。 But now I see what is meant by Seneca's plays being gory--though mostly offstage。 Check out 'Thyestes' for starters！ It was about time I actually read Seneca， and I liked Emily Wilson's The Odyssey， so went with her translation。 Her introduction is excellent， the translation lively--and I learned to what extent Seneca influenced Shakespeare: not much in the matter of dramatic form。 Credit Marlowe for that。 But now I see what is meant by Seneca's plays being gory--though mostly offstage。 Check out 'Thyestes' for starters！ 。。。more

Reza ，

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 اهم 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 های 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 تراژدی 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。 。。。more

Elizabeth ，

Emily Wilson has an interesting introduction， and I enjoyed Seneca’s take on these tragedies。

Drew ，

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 thi 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。 。。。more

Jonathan ，

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。。。。 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。。。。 。。。more

Jade ，

Medea: A lot of powerful quotes and an interesting perspective。

Luciana Nery ，

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 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。 。。。more

Gaurav ，

Gruesome yet intriguing。

Derek ，

Oh damn， Seneca！ There were some really， really dark lines！ Kudos for making some of the finest and most human -- if not unspeakably violent -- tragedies I have read thus far from either Romans or Greeks。 While a bit formulaic， I found each tragedy to be quite satisfying and would recommend reading all six。

Dmk ，

This looks like a really nice edition of Seneca's plays。 I didn't read other three not included here so I can't say wheter it is good or bad that they're not here though。Translation here are quite accesible while in other edition of his plays I read （Four plays and Octavia） there was stronger inclination to make it more archaic， more "poetic"。 I prefer aproach this edition uses where language is more vivid。 Of the six plays here I read only two not inluded in Four plays and Octavia （Medea and He This looks like a really nice edition of Seneca's plays。 I didn't read other three not included here so I can't say wheter it is good or bad that they're not here though。Translation here are quite accesible while in other edition of his plays I read （Four plays and Octavia） there was stronger inclination to make it more archaic， more "poetic"。 I prefer aproach this edition uses where language is more vivid。 Of the six plays here I read only two not inluded in Four plays and Octavia （Medea and Hercules） and Troades but I consider reading Theystenes too because this translation is much more accesible （yes， Octavia is not here but it's not such pity）As for plays itself their qualities differ alot。 Troades are masterpiece while Medea I consider big failure （but I has to admit this is quite a controversial opinion）。 Of three great greek tragedian Aeschylus is one who is most similar to Seneca but Seneca is far more tragic。 。。。more

Virginia ，

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 ins 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。 。。。more

Roman Clodia ，

Bloody Roman versions of classical Greek tragediesSeneca 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 ar Bloody Roman versions of classical Greek tragediesSeneca 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。 。。。more

Robbe ，

The Note on the text and translation contains the following:Seneca's a highly allusive way of writing， which assumes a fairly well-educated or readership。 The many mythological and geographical allusions pose a particular challenge for the modern reader， who is unlikely to have the same degree of familiarity with Greaco-Roman myth that the average educated Roman spectator or reader would have had。 In order to re-create the ease with which a Roman reader would have understood Seneca's terminology The Note on the text and translation contains the following:Seneca's a highly allusive way of writing， which assumes a fairly well-educated or readership。 The many mythological and geographical allusions pose a particular challenge for the modern reader， who is unlikely to have the same degree of familiarity with Greaco-Roman myth that the average educated Roman spectator or reader would have had。 In order to re-create the ease with which a Roman reader would have understood Seneca's terminology， I have erased or glossed some of his proper names: for instance， I have sometimes rendered 'Boreas' simply as 'the north wind'。 There are so many things wrong with this paragraph that I hardly know where to start， but let me try:First of all， this books contains plays that are almost 2000 years old。 Who is just going to randomly pick this up， thinking it will be a fun and easy read？ The people who buy and read this book will at least have a vague notion that a Roman tragedy is not gonna be your average detective/young-adult/whatever novel。 Second， it might just be that people won't be familiar with every tiny character from the Greaco-Roman myths。 But does that mean that people cannot learn about them？ Again， the people who pick up this book will probably know what to expect （if only vaguely）。 If they're interested enough to read some 2000 year old plays， they're probably interested enough to learn a few things about Greaco-Roman myths。Third， I get why it's important that you can follow the play with some ease when watching it （though I would say that there is a good case to be made that it should not necessarily be so）。 But this is a book。 Readers have the option to reread passages， to go back and forth in the play if they don't understand something。 Thanks to things like footnotes and explanatory notes the reader can know that 'Boreas' means 'the north wind'， without mutilating the text。 It even gives you the chance to explain a tiny bit more about this character。 Moreover， if those notes aren't sufficient， there's this thing called the internet。 You can use it to look up information。For a series as Oxford World Classics， from an academic publisher like Oxford University Press， this is pretty disappointing。TL;DR？ If you want to read Seneca's plays， you might want to look for an other edition/translation。（I've not actually read the tragedies yet， but I plan to do so very soon） 。。。more

Searnold ，

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 ar 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。 。。。more

Heather ，

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。] 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。] 。。。more

Vrixton Phillips ，

Thyestes4 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 th Thyestes4 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。 。。。more

Ari ，

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。 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。 。。。more

Matthew Wilder ，

Seneca was not a philosopher in the way that we know that job description now。 He was not an academic who wrote in the margins of pre-existing philosophical texts。 He was much closer to a Roman Tony Robbins， a life coach to the emperor’s court’s coffee achievers， a dispenser of supposedly Stoical wisdom to the One Percent。 The takeaway？ Do better。。。but not that much better。 Work harder， but just a little harder。 Let go of your worldly attachments， but。。。hey， a drop of wine， or a mistress or two， Seneca was not a philosopher in the way that we know that job description now。 He was not an academic who wrote in the margins of pre-existing philosophical texts。 He was much closer to a Roman Tony Robbins， a life coach to the emperor’s court’s coffee achievers， a dispenser of supposedly Stoical wisdom to the One Percent。 The takeaway？ Do better。。。but not that much better。 Work harder， but just a little harder。 Let go of your worldly attachments， but。。。hey， a drop of wine， or a mistress or two， or a slight addiction to purchasing citruswood tables never killed anybody！On the down low， this master enabler of entrenched wealth was Rome’s midnight underground horror auteur。 It is reputed that actual teen slaves died in the snuff aspect of certain Senecan splatter tragedies。 As Seneca’s philosophical texts are a smoothly humming paean to an MSNBC-like status quo， his dramatic texts are shivering paroxysms of physical pain and total despair。 The dominant image of Senecan drama is in his Oedipus—a described autopsy of a mutated， stillborn calf。Unlike his Hellenic predecessors， Seneca was nothing if not Mr。 Body Horror。 Underneath a cosmeticized exterior， sickening， foul-smelling gray organs pullulate。 Nothing is as it seems; it’s always worse。Unlike the heroes of Shakespearean tragedy， Senecan leads are the walking dead。 Each curtain falls on one whom greater-than-human horrors have been visited， who now most totter， homeless， and learn to live with the regret and trauma。 For Seneca， the worst film noir twist of fate is not to be permitted to die。The language can be rococo beyond belief， but it always hews to a Beckettian， quietly existential horror: I can’t go on—wait， I *will* go on？ The Senecan drama endlessly gives the lie to Seneca’s life-coach complacency-texts。 Is one or the other more “truthful to” the real Seneca？ I would say both seen in concert put the lie to the notion that there ever was a real Seneca。 。。。more

Joseph F。 ，

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 laug 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。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Six Tragedies

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Six Tragedies&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Six Tragedies&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0