Tragic Seneca undertakes a radical re-evaluation of Seneca's plays, their relationship to Roman imperial culture and their instrumental role in the evolution of the European theatrical tradition.
'J.A.Boyle's Tragic Seneca has redeemed the Latin playwright from the purgatory of Eliot's "second rank", and raised him to a place in the pantheon of genuine dramatic artists. He has made 1997 a true vintage year indeed.' - Times Literary Supplement'Tragic Seneca: an Essay in the Theatrical Tradition is a very successful compromise between general introduction and scholarly monograph. ....His book presents a persuasive and sophisticated reading of Senecan Tragedy in its historicala and political context, and of Renaissance receptions. Boyle includes a useful general introduction to Roman drama up to the Neronian period, arguing forcefully that Seneca's plays were written for stage performance, and also discusses the playwright's declamatory style; the moral and theological aspects of the plays; dramatic technique..., intertextuality; metatheater, and the tendency of Seneca's characters to self-dramatization. ... Boyle writes in a lively and readable style, which will be accessible to the beginner as well as the expert, and conveys a strong sense of the plays as exciting and challenging drama.' - Greece and Rome`This book has a great deal to offer, particularly to undergraduates.' - Journal of Roman Studies
