Lucius Annaeus Seneca, Thyestes

Christopher Trinacty (Oberlin College)

Ed. by William John Dominik, University of Otago
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.1.2: Ancient Roman Writing and Culture (Republic and Empire), -750-476.
Vol. editors: William John Dominik (University of Otago), Giacomo Fedeli (University of Exeter), Thomas Habinek (University of Southern California), Emily Kneebone (University of Nottingham), Elodie Paillard (University of Sydney), Sophia Papaioannou (National and Kapodistrian University of Athens), Jula Wildberger (The American University of Paris)

Dates

First circulation or publication c. 50

Places

Ancient Rome (Republic & Empire) (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Play
Tragedy

Resources

In his play Thyestes, Seneca utilizes the tragic tale of the house of Tantalus to explore the psychological depths of tyranny, revenge, and dynastic miasma. The Thyestes details the relationship between the brothers Atreus and Thyestes and their struggle for supremacy, which results in Thyestes’ cannibalistic consumption of his own children. This is a mythological house known for such transgressions and the opening scene presents the ghost of Tantalus (grandfather of Atreus and Thyestes), who infects the household with his insatiable thirst and hunger. These motifs resonate both physically and figuratively throughout the play. Atreus and Thyestes were supposed to rule the kingdom alternately but their power-sharing …

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1643 words

Citation: Trinacty, Christopher . "Thyestes". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 04 May 2009 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=13467, accessed 22 November 2024.]

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