Senecan Tragedies

Senecan Tragedies

• Based on both Greek & Roman themes

• Influenced Elizabethan Drama

• Theme of revenge

• Many adaptations from Euripides

• Written to be read

• Introduced the five act structure

Euripides vs Seneca

• The characterization of Medea

• The Chorus

• Violence on stage

• No helper (Aegeus)

• Final scene with the chariot

• Final lines of the play

Characterization of Medea

Euripides

• Helpless, lonely, crying

• Presented by the nurse

• Enters later

• “Ah wretch!”

• Self-pity

• Unhappy mother

• Pawn of gods

• Hesitates

Seneca

• Bold, full of hatred

• Enters at the start

• “O gods!

Vengeance!”

• Set for revenge

• Mighty sorceress

• God-like

• No hesitation

The Chorus

Euripides

• Sympathetic

towards a helpless woman

• Women

• Blame Jason

Seneca

• Critical against a strong, foreign woman

• Average Citizen

• Celebrate Jason’s wedding

Medea’s character affects the attitude of the Chorus.

Euripides’ Medea requires their help. Seneca’s Medea is independent of them.

Final Scene

Euripides

• Already in the chariot

• Children already dead

• Their corpses at her feet

• Blames Jason for their death

Seneca

• Kills the children on stage and in front of Jason

• Takes responsibility for killing all

• Does not blame Jason

• Gestures and the chariot comes down

• Throws down the dead bodies

Final Lines

• Euripides is reverent of the gods. Medea prays to gods and it is suggested that she becomes a victim of her fate determined by gods.

• Seneca defies gods. Medea’s strength, her

godlike manner makes the existence of gods

irrelevant. She doesn’t need their help and

she can take control of her own fate.