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Title: Oedipus by Seneca ISBN: 0-672-60210-5 Publisher: MacMillan Publishing Company. Pub. Date: 01 June, 1955 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $2.95

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Summary: Seneca retells the story of Oedipus as a bloodthirsty tale
Comment: The tragedy of "Oedipus" as told by the Roman playwright Seneca is a very bloodthirsty and savage retelling of the story from classical mythology, much in keeping with the Roman view of popular entertainment. Seneca also wrote his version of the Oedipus myth after the downfall of Nero, as the Roman Empire was emerging from a particularly dark period in its history. Whereas the Greek tragedy by Sophocles is concerned with unraveling the puzzle (most readers never note that the prophecy as told to Oedipus is not the same as what was told to his parents), the Seneca version is more about psychology and emotion than logic. In this version there is an impending sense of doom that hangs over the characters. The contrasts and comparisons between the two versions are inevitable because no one is going to come to Seneca's "Oedipus" without knowledge of Sophocles's "Oedipus the King."

In the Roman play the chorus functions not as a narrative counterpoint to the dramatic action as we find in Greek tragedy, but as a means of confronting Oedipus with his darkest thoughts and fears (i.e., an internal dialogue). Ironically, given that the plays of Sophocles provided the characters that Freud turned into key psychological complexes, it is the Seneca version that seems more like a fevered dream. Like most of Seneca's plays, "Oedipus" takes the familiar stories of Greek tragedies and provides some original details. For example, in this version Teiresias, the blind prophet of Thebes, uses a spell to call up the dead Laius so that he can offer his morbid insights on the events unfolding.

If Sophocles is interested in psychology, then Seneca is more the philosopher. Before Jocasta commits suicide in the play she has a final scene with Oedipus in which they discuss the accountability of humankind and fate. The play begins with a monologue by Oedipus where he talks about the calamitous state of Thebes and his fear that he may be the cause. At the end Oedipus is again alone on stage with all of his worst fears fully realized and self-blinded to ensure constant and continued punishment and suffering. Before the irresistible force of fate human beings can do nothing but suffer. This is not so much a tragedy, per se, but rather an unhappy story (i.e., a tale without the audience enjoying the Greek idea of catharsis). Comparing the versions by Sophocles and Seneca also provides a basic understanding of the difference between Greek and Roman tragedy.