Seneca: Oedipus

Description

Oedipus, king of Thebes, is one of the giant figures of ancient mythology. Through the centuries, his story has inspired works of epic poetry, lyric poetry, tragedy, opera, a gospel musical and more. The myth has been famously deployed in psychology by Sigmund Freud. It may not be too bold to claim that Oedipus is the name from Greco-Roman mythology best known beyond the academy at the present time, thanks to Freud’s famous phrase ‘the Oedipus complex’. The most famous version of the Oedipus myth from antiquity is the Greek play by Sophocles. But there is another version, the Latin drama by the Roman philosopher and politician Seneca. Seneca’s version is an entirely different treatment from that of Sophocles and reflects concerns special to the author and his Roman audience in the first century AD. Moreover, the play actually exercised a much greater influence on European literature and thought than has usually been suspected. This book offers a compact and incisive study of the multi-faceted Oedipus myth, of Seneca as dramatist, of the distinctive characteristics of Seneca’s play and of the most important aspects of the reception of the play in European drama and culture. The scope of the book ranges chronologically from Homer’s treatment of Oedipus myth in the Odyssey down to a twenty-first century Senecan treatment by a Lebanese Canadian dramatist. No knowledge of Latin or other foreign languages is required. Cover page Halftitle page Series page Title page Copyright page Contents Acknowledgements 1 The Myth The Oedipus Complex and the Complexities of Oedipus Oedipus of Thebes: The Myth Theban Myth and Variations in Ancient Literature The Folklorist Approach Conclusion 2 Seneca in his Time Seneca at Court: Rise and Fall and Rise and Fall Seneca’s Literary Output The Characteristics of Seneca’s Writing Seneca and Roman Drama The Question of Performance Drama and Stoicism 3 Structure, Themes and Issues Structure Oedipus’ Opening Speech: Important Themes Initiated Fear, Guilt and Rage7 Kingship Unnatural Monstrosities Fate and Fortune Graphic Physiological Detail The Search for Knowledge Riddles Kinship and Pietas Suicide on Stage and other Spectacles Monochromicity Visualizing the Choral Odes The Power of Seneca’s Language: Rhetoric, Learning, Paradox and Point Conclusion 4 Reception and Influence of Seneca’s Oedipus Seneca’s Oedipus in Antiquity and the Middle Ages The Rediscovery of Seneca’s Tragedies in the Early Renaissance 15 Oedipus in France Oedipus in England: Dryden & Lee Freud’s Oedipus: Sophocles’ or Seneca’s? Oedipus in the Twentieth Century and Beyond Notes Bibliography Guide to Further Reading Index