Euripides versus Seneca Flashcards
(7 cards)
Q: What political context shaped each playwright’s version of Trojan Women?
Euripides: Written after the Athenian massacre at Melos (415 BCE); critiques imperialism and war from a democratic, civic perspective.
Seneca: Written under Nero’s Roman Empire (45–65 AD); reflects elite, imperial culture and Stoic philosophy.
Q: How were the plays likely performed or shared?
Euripides: Staged publicly at festivals like the Dionysia for communal, emotional engagement.
Seneca: Probably recited in private Roman elite circles; more introspective than performative.
Q: How does each playwright present the gods?
Euripides: Gods like Athena and Poseidon appear onstage and are morally complex.
Seneca: Gods are absent; divine action is replaced by philosophical or psychological forces.
Q: What is the emotional tone and dramatic style?
Euripides: Pathos-driven, realistic, and dialogue-focused.
Seneca: Rhetorical, static, filled with long monologues and philosophical maxims.
Q: How is the suffering of women portrayed in each version?
Euripides: Focuses on victims (Hecuba, Cassandra, Andromache) and critiques war’s human cost.
Seneca: Emphasises internal suffering, endurance, and the Stoic response to grief.
Q: What thematic lens dominates each play?
Euripides: Moral and political critique of imperialism and war.
Seneca: Stoic reflection on fate, emotion, and philosophical endurance.
Q: What was the long-term reception of each version?
Euripides: Seen as a foundational anti-war and feminist text; politically daring.
Seneca: Influential in Renaissance and neoclassical drama; valued for rhetorical brilliance.
