Seneca: Phaedra

Seneca’s Phaedra occupies an important and influential position in the tradition of European drama. This new edition concentrates on the dramatic qualities of Phaedra and examines the Greek and Roman background to the play, particularly Seneca’s use of Euripides and Ovid, and its philosophical elements grounded in Seneca’s Stoicism. The introduction also discusses dramatic and rhetorical presentation, aspects of style including imagery and the transmission of the text. An unusual feature is the treatment of the influence of the Phaedra story in later European literature and music. The commentary examines Seneca’s language in detail and looks at his use of earlier poetic models (Virgil and Ovid) as well as plot, characterisation and his use of myth. Although principally for students of Latin literature, this new edition will also be of interest to historians of drama and comparative literature.

Introduction; 1. The life of Seneca; 2. The dating of Seneca\'s tragedies; 3. The background of the myth; 4. Roman literary influences; 5. Dramatic performances; 6. Rhetorical elements; 7. Aspects of literary craftsmanship; 8. Literary and philosophical interpretation; 9. The manuscripts and the transmission of the text; 10. The influence of Seneca\'s tragedies and of the Phaedra myth; 11. Metre and prosody; Annaei Senecae Phaedra; Commentary; Appendices; Bibliography; Indexes.