A broken marriage, love turned to vengeful anger, children caught in the middle the story of Medea has strong contemporary resonances. The figure of Medea dominates Seneca's play: her superhuman magical powers are given great prominence, but in the end they are less significant than the thirst for vengeance and the pure ambition to do evil that drive her to the ruthless killing of her sons. Wider questions are raised within the play: can the origins of this disaster to be discerned in the backgrounds and previous experiences of Medea nd Jason? what kind of universe is this in which such evil can occur? Seneca's writing is by turns both highly allusive and ferociously explicit, a suitable style for this highly-charged play. This edition concentrates on literary and thematic aspects of the play, and seeks to place it in its literary and historical context in the first century AD.
Harry M. Hine is Scotstarvit Professor of Humanity at the University of St Andrews.
224pp; cl 691 3 $59.99 / £35, pb 692 1 $28 / £16.50 (2000)
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CONTENTS INTRODUCTION
2 The Development of Tragedy 3 Seneca and the Myth of Medea 4 Seneca's Medea 5 The Medea as literature 6 Seneca's Medea and the Question of Staging 7 The manuscript tradition PARALLEL LATIN TEXT AND ENGLISH TRANSLATION COMMENTARY Abbreviations |
SOME COMMENTS BY REVIEWERS
"H's notes and discussions, though never jejune,
are well within the grasp of non-specialists and students; yet
this reviewer, who has been reading the Medea for three decades,
found something of interest on almost every page." "I
begin with the translation it's style is clear, direct,
vigorous attractive qualities though it never disguises
the fact that it is a translation. H. has a gift for choosing
the right phrase or word for the Latin and the context ... The
commentary is the heart of such an edition, and this one is well
judged to suit the needs of its users. ... An admirable feature
of this commentary is that it consistently registers an awareness
of the dramatic situation." "H's edition, however, reflects
the many advances made in Senecan scholarship and criticism over
the past quarter-century." BMCR
"H's informative and detailed Introduction steers a most
judicious course through the standard controversies ... The translation
is straightforward and the notes are clear, answer the right questions
and show appropriate sympathy with the author." Greece
and Rome
"Hine is always readable and is at his best when talking about the psychology of the principal character ... Hine's translation is unpretentious and accurate and his commentary is a masterpiece of learned and comprehensive exegesis." LACT 2002
"There is a substantial introduction that is very helpful towards understanding the play and its background in literature, philosophy and rhetoric. The commentary (with the lemmata keyed to the translation) is lucid, helpful, and well pitched to the needs of both advanced Senecans and students with humbler Latin attainments. If Medea deserves a further lease of life in our schools and universities, she can enjoy it fully in this fine new edition." The Classical Review
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See under SENECA in this series.
