Seneca’s Tragedies: Thyestes & Oedipus

Full-cast productions of Seneca’s most famous tragedies, plus letters from the Roman philosopher read by Paul Scofield

Stoic philosopher and playwright Lucius Annaeus Seneca lived through the reigns of Caligula and Claudius, and was tutor and adviser to Nero, before his untimely suicide in AD65. His gory, outrageous tragedy Thyestes inspired Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus, and is widely considered his masterpiece. It opens this collection, which also includes his classic Oedipus, a selection of his correspondence and two special documentary programmes exploring the man and his life.

Thyestes – Brothers Atreus and Thyestes have fought a long and bitter civil war. After seducing Atreus’ wife and stealing the golden ram of kingship, Thyestes is defeated and banished. A pretend offer of friendship sees him returning home with his three sons, ostensibly to share the throne of Argos – but in reality, Atreus Is plotting a horrifying act of revenge. Denis Quilley and Richard Pasco star as Thyestes and Atreus, wih Anton Lesser as the Messenger.

Oedipus – Cursed by the gods, Oedipus flees his native city of Corinth for Thebes. There, he solves the riddle of the Sphinx, is proclaimed King and marries Queen Jocasta. But when the city is struck by drought and a deadly plague, he is faced with a new riddle: and the answer spells his own doom… Seneca’s reworking of the Ancient Greek legend is adapted by onetime Poet Laureate Ted Hughes, and stars Martin Jarvis and Siân Phillips.

Seneca’s Letters – Paul Scofield reads a selection of Seneca’s lively, humorous philosophical letters to his young friend Lucilius, in which he discurses on topics including the evils of crowds, the pleasures of old age, the perils of drunkenness, the folly of wanderlust and the part played by philosophy in advancing civilization.

Is Seneca Possible? – In a personal reflection on the celebrated playwright, poet James Fenton attempts to put him into historical context. T S Eliot asserted that Seneca ‘created his own genre’, but with so few examples of Roman tragedy remaining, has our view been distorted by the drama we’ve lost?

In Our Time: Seneca the Younger – Melvyn Bragg and guests Mary Beard, Catharine Edwards and Alessandro Schiesaro discuss Seneca, reflecting on his status as one of the first great writers born in the new Roman empire after the fall of the Republic.

NB: Contains strong language

Thyestes
Thyestes – Denis Quilley
Atreus – Richard Pasco
The Messenger – Anton Lesser
Fury – Hugh Dickson
Ghost of Tantalus – David March
Courtier – Anthony Newlands
Tantalus, Thyestes’ son – Crawford Logan
His brothers – Stuart Organ & Simon Hewitt
Seneca – Peter Tuddenham
Chorus – Hugh Dickson, David Gooderson, Simon Hewitt, Anton Lesser, Crawford Logan, Stuart Organ, Richard Pasco, Denis Quilley, Peter Tuddenham

Oedipus
Oedipus – Martin Jarvis
Jocasta – Siân Phillips
Creon – John Rowe
Tiresias – Hugh Dickson
Manto – Frances Jeater
Corinthian Messenger – Nigel Graham
Phorbas – Timothy Bateson
Theban Slave – David Gooderson
Chorus Leader – Stephen Thorne
Chorus – James Bryce, Jill Lidstone, David Peart, Jean Trend, David Gooderson, Nigel Graham, Timothy Bateson

Seneca’s Letters
1: Avoid the Crowds; Befriend Your Slaves
2: The Pleasures of Old Age
3: Worldly Noise and the Tranquil Mind
4: Thoughts in a Dark Tunnel
5: Philosophy v Daily Trivialities

Is Seneca Possible?
Presented by James Fenton

In Our Time: Seneca the Younger
Presented by Melvyn Bragg
With Mary Beard, Catharine Edwards and Alessandro Schiesaro
Produced by Simon Tillotson

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