In this blog post, we will examine the life of the Roman philosopher Seneca and his tragedies, focusing in particular on the plots and characteristics of ‘Agamemnon’ and ‘Hippolytus’.
Seneca’s Life
Seneca (c. 4 B.C.–A.D. 65) was a Roman philosopher born into a prominent and wealthy knightly family in Córdoba, Spain. His father was the orator Marcus A. Seneca; because they shared the same name, the father is referred to as “Seneca the Orator” (Seneca the Elder), while the son is distinguished as “Seneca the Philosopher” (Seneca the Younger).
As a child, Seneca moved to Rome with his father and studied rhetoric in preparation for a career in politics. Later, while studying philosophy under Sotion and Attalus, he developed a deep interest in ethics and morality; however, his father disapproved of his son’s scholarly pursuits and urged him to study law instead. Ultimately, Seneca became a lawyer, entered the Senate, and gained fame for his noble character and eloquent oratory.
However, during the reign of Emperor Claudius, Seneca suffered the misfortune of being exiled to the island of Corsica for eight years due to the slander of Empress Messalina. The anxiety and frustration he experienced during this exile are fully reflected in his writings—such as ‘Consolation to Plibius’, ‘Consolation to Helvia’, ‘On Providence’, and ‘On Anger’.
In addition, the nine tragedies believed to have been written during his exile in Corsica—namely, ‘Hercules Furens’, ‘The Trojan Women’, ‘Eria’, ‘Hippolytus’, ‘Oedipus’, ‘Agamemnon’, ‘Thyestes’, ‘Hercules at Oita’, and ‘The Phoenician Women’—are all imitations of Greek tragedy, yet their elegant prose exerted a profound influence on modern Western tragedy. For this reason, this paper focuses specifically on two of these works.
When Claudius divorced Messalina and married Agrippina, Seneca was released from exile and became the private tutor to Nero, the son of Agrippina’s former husband, whom she had brought with her. When his student Nero ascended to the throne in 54 AD, Seneca found himself in a position of real power and, thanks to the special favor of the emperor and empress, accumulated immense wealth.
Although Nero’s reign began with some benevolent governance, he gradually transformed into a tyrant as time passed, and Seneca increasingly became a thorn in his side. Ultimately, Seneca was suspected of participating in a plot to assassinate Nero and took his own life.
Major Works: ‘Agamemnon’ and ‘Hippolytus’
Seneca’s tragedies are generally based on Greek mythology and depict human passions and tragic fates with incisive prose. Here, we examine his narrative characteristics and ethical messages through ‘Agamemnon’ and ‘Hippolytus’.
Agamemnon
As the title suggests, “Agamemnon” features Agamemnon—the king of Argos and commander-in-chief of the Greek forces in Greek mythology—as its protagonist. Although he achieves a great victory in the Trojan War, he meets a tragic end when he is assassinated by his wife’s lover.
The play provides a detailed account of the circumstances and psychological dynamics surrounding this event. The Trojan War, which serves as the backdrop, is a famous ancient conflict featured in Homer’s epic poems. It is based on the legend that, after Helen, the queen of Sparta, was abducted by a Trojan prince, a Greek army of 100,000 soldiers led by Agamemnon fought a fierce battle for ten years to reclaim her, ultimately capturing the city of Troy.
This tragedy is rife with love and hatred between men and women, adultery, resentment, revenge, and murder; the story begins when Agamemnon falls in love with a woman he took captive during the war. Alongside harrowing depictions of war, the play unfolds the grim fate of humanity through fluid and suspenseful dialogue.
Hippolytus
“Hippolytus” also draws on Greek mythology. The plot is simple. Hippolytus, born to the Attic hero Theseus and his former wife Antiope, grows up to be a young man possessing the courage and virtue of his father.
However, his young stepmother, Phaedra, falls in love with Hippolytus, and when he rejects her advances, she falsely accuses him of seducing her to her husband, Theseus. Blinded by jealousy, Theseus enlists the power of Poseidon, the god of the sea, to bring about Hippolytus’s death; when the truth of the matter is revealed, Phaedra confesses to her slander and takes her own life.
This story is reminiscent of the tale of Joseph and Potiphar’s wife in the Old Testament; however, the ending differs in that Joseph was imprisoned after rejecting the temptation, whereas Hippolytus meets a tragic death. Although the plot is simple, Seneca’s prose is full of suspense and contrasts the ascetic ethics of Stoicism with the ethics pursued by hedonism.
