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Lucius Annaeus Seneca
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Phaedra and Other Plays (Penguin Classics) Paperback – October 25, 2011

by Seneca (Author), R. Scott Smith (Editor, Translator, Introduction)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 28 ratings
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Living in Rome under Caligula and later a tutor to Nero, Seneca witnessed the extremes of human behaviour. His shocking and bloodthirsty plays not only reflect a brutal period of history but also show how guilt, sorrow, anger and desire lead individuals to violence. The hero of Hercules Insane saves his own family from slaughter, only to commit further atrocities when he goes mad. The horrifying death of Astyanax is recounted in Trojan Women, and Phaedra deals with forbidden love. In Oedipus a nervous man discovers himself, while Thyestes recounts the bitter family struggle for a crown. Of uncertain authorship, Octavia dramatizes Nero's divorce from his wife and her deportation. The only Latin tragedies to have survived complete, these plays are masterpieces of vibrant, muscular language and psychological insight.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
Previous page
  1. Print length
    326 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Penguin Classics
  4. Publication date
    October 25, 2011
  5. Grade level
    12 and up
  6. Reading age
    18 years and up
  7. Dimensions
    7.7 x 5 x 0.9 inches
  8. ISBN-10
    0140455515
  9. ISBN-13
    978-0140455519
  10. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Lucius Annaeus Seneca statesman, philosopher, advocate and man of letters, was born at Cordoba in Spain around 4 BC. He rose to prominence in Rome, pursuing a career in the courts and political life while also acquiring celebrity as an author of tragedies and essays. After retiring from public life, he devoted his last three years to philosophy and writing. Following the discovery of a plot against the emperor, in which he was thought to be implicated, he and many others were compelled by Nero to commit suicide in AD 65.

R. Scott Smith is Associate Professor of Classics at the University of New Hampshire. His books include An Anthology of Classical Myth (as co-editor and translator) and The Unknown Socrates (as co-editor and contributor).

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin Classics; 1st edition (October 25, 2011)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 326 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0140455515
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0140455519
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 18 years and up
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ 12 and up
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9.5 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.7 x 5 x 0.9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 28 ratings

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  1. Lucius Annaeus Seneca

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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
28 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Jpuscas
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
Reviewed in the United States on October 28, 2021
Verified Purchase
I love the translation very readable
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Aran Joseph Canes
4.0 out of 5 stars A Largely Successful Adaption from Greece to Rome
Reviewed in the United States on October 19, 2018
This book is a collection of the major tragedies of Seneca. Lesser known than his philosophical works, these have perennial interest in showing the cultural changes undergone since these works’ original setting in Attic Greece.

All of the works reliably attributed to Seneca are retellings of Grecian tragedies. Admittedly, they lack some of the dramatic pathos the Greek tragedians displayed when these plays were performed as part of the Dionysian mysteries. But they do provide more evidence of the cultural reliance of Rome on Greece in the early days of the empire.

They also display themes of particular interest to Seneca. Prominent tropes are the exultation of the simple life, the need to rule with moderation and temperance and the temptation for dictators to abuse their power. As the tutor to Nero, these interests are not so surprising.

More of note is the transformation of tragedy from religious rite to entertainment for intellectuals. While Aeschylus’s characters are almost epitomes of the gods, Seneca dwells on the morals, thoughts and emotions of his very human central characters. Shakespeare is not so far away.

Though not necessary reading, those who enjoy Greek tragedy will mostly be delighted with the imitations of Seneca. As long as you do not view Western civilization as declining from Greece to Rome (as Nietzsche did for example) the transformation of Dionysian rite to reflection on humanity and its part in the larger world is largely successful and makes for engaging reading.
7 people found this helpful
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Bethany
5.0 out of 5 stars Bethany's Review
Reviewed in the United States on March 10, 2013
Verified Purchase
I choose this rating because it came in a timely manner and is in beautiful condition.
I like this item because it is a good read and something I should probably have since I am a theatre person.
I would reccomend this to all theatre people.
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Top reviews from other countries

Gill Morris
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 6, 2012
Verified Purchase
excellent condition, am using this as part of an Open University Degree course- Myth in the Greek and Roman worlds, brilliant!
One person found this helpful
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J. R. Lyttle
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 16, 2014
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I sacked the au pair after reading this
One person found this helpful
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