Description

Book Synopsis
Based on the legends used in Greek drama, Seneca's plays are notable for the exuberant ruthlessness with which disastrous events are foretold and then pursued to their tragic and often bloodthirsty ends. Thyestes depicts the menace of an ancestral curse hanging over two feuding brothers, while Phaedra portrays a woman tormented by fatal passion for her stepson. In The Trojan Women, the widowed Hecuba and Andromache await their fates at the hands of the conquering Greeks, and Oedipus follows the downfall of the royal House of Thebes. Octavia is a grim commentary on Nero's tyrannical rule and the execution of his wife, with Seneca himself appearing as an ineffective counsellor attempting to curb the atrocities of the emperor.

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 thro

Table of Contents
Seneca: Four Tragedies And OctaviaIntroduction
Acknowledgement

Thyestes
Phaedra (or Hippolytus)
The Trojan Women
Oedipus
Octavia

Appendix I.

Elizabethan translations and imitations
Appendix II. Passages from Seneca's prose

Four Tragedies and Octavia Penguin Classics

    Product form

    A Paperback / softback by Seneca, E. Watling

    £9.99

    Includes FREE delivery

    Order before 4pm today for delivery by Wed 30 Sep 2026.

    3 in stock

      Trusted by thousands of customers. See 2,385+ Customer Reviews

      View other formats and editions of Four Tragedies and Octavia Penguin Classics by Seneca

      Book details

      Publisher Penguin Random House Group
      Imprint Penguin Classics
      Published 24 February 2005
      ISBN-13 9780140441741
      978-0140441741
      ISBN-10 0140441743
      Also in:
      Poetry ELT & Literary Studies Ancient, classical and medieval texts

      Description

      Book Synopsis
      Based on the legends used in Greek drama, Seneca's plays are notable for the exuberant ruthlessness with which disastrous events are foretold and then pursued to their tragic and often bloodthirsty ends. Thyestes depicts the menace of an ancestral curse hanging over two feuding brothers, while Phaedra portrays a woman tormented by fatal passion for her stepson. In The Trojan Women, the widowed Hecuba and Andromache await their fates at the hands of the conquering Greeks, and Oedipus follows the downfall of the royal House of Thebes. Octavia is a grim commentary on Nero's tyrannical rule and the execution of his wife, with Seneca himself appearing as an ineffective counsellor attempting to curb the atrocities of the emperor.

      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 thro

      Table of Contents
      Seneca: Four Tragedies And OctaviaIntroduction
      Acknowledgement

      Thyestes
      Phaedra       (or Hippolytus)
      The Trojan Women
      Oedipus
      Octavia

      Appendix I.

      Elizabethan translations and imitations
      Appendix II. Passages from Seneca's prose

      Recently viewed products

      © 2026 Book Curl

        • American Express
        • Apple Pay
        • Diners Club
        • Discover
        • Google Pay
        • Maestro
        • Mastercard
        • PayPal
        • Shop Pay
        • Union Pay
        • Visa

        Login

        Forgot your password?

        Don't have an account yet?
        Create account