An Analysis of Seneca's Thyestes: Dissertation by Joe Park Poe

Mythical and Political Backdrop

Seneca’s Thyestes is set within the mythic world of the ancient kingdom of Argos, focusing on the bitter rivalry between brothers Thyestes and Atreus over royal succession. This violent feud has roots in family curses and ancestral crimes, notably involving their grandfather Tantalus. The play’s themes of revenge, betrayal, and cannibalism unfold against this grim royal backdrop, highlighting the destructive consequences of power struggles within a dynastic family.

Roman Context and Imperial Resonance

Composed between 40 and 55 CE during the Roman Empire, Thyestes reflects Seneca’s dual roles as a Stoic philosopher and Nero’s advisor. The setting of Mycenae in the play closely parallels Rome itself, with descriptions of palatial architecture resembling Roman imperial villas. This parallel casts the dynastic horrors in the play as allegories for Nero’s tyrannical reign—blending mythic violence with contemporary political critique. The play critiques brutal authority and the instability of a regime devoid of virtue, using vivid imagery of spectral hauntings and bloody rituals to evoke the psychological and social corruption of imperial power.

Literary and Theatrical Traditions

Thyestes is one of the earliest surviving Roman tragedies adapting a Greek myth, following Euripides’ version but reinterpreted through Seneca’s philosophical and rhetorical lens. The play belongs to the fabula crepidata genre, dramatizing classical Greek stories with Roman style and moral reflection. Its intense psychological exploration, moral decay, and use of gruesome motifs like cannibalism have influenced later literary and theatrical traditions. Seneca’s focus on rhetorical sophistication and character torment marks the play as a key example of Roman tragedy’s engagement with themes of power, revenge, and human suffering.

Central claims

• Poe’s dissertation argues that Seneca’s Thyestes is a dramatic treatment of unchecked tyranny and the moral disintegration that results from absolute power—a theme reflecting anxieties about imperial rule in Nero’s Rome.
• The work presents Thyestes as both a victim and a participant in the cycle of revenge, complicating traditional tragic hero roles.
• Poe likely analyzes the play’s structure and language to reveal Seneca’s rhetorical strategies for intensifying horror and suspense.
• The dissertation probably connects the play’s psychological depth to broader Stoic and Roman philosophical ideas about fate, control, and self-mastery.
• The study may suggest that Thyestes sets a model for later Roman and European tragedy in its exploration of power and transgression.
• Poe’s analysis possibly positions the play as a critique of contemporary Roman political culture through its mythic frame.

Symbols & ambiguities (mythic resonance)

Thyestes is steeped in recurring images of banquets, blood, and polluted feasts, which symbolize the breakdown of social and natural order. The central ambiguity lies in Seneca’s portrayal of the Atreus–Thyestes conflict: is it a primal tale of cosmic injustice, or a coded commentary on Nero’s Rome? Interpretive challenges arise from the play’s dense, allusive language, its use of offstage violence, and the uneasy relationship between Stoic ideals and the play’s brutal events. The tragic feast itself—both literal and symbolic—marks the culmination of these motifs, leaving the audience to grapple with the limits of vengeance and the price of power.

Study questions

• How does Seneca use the myth of Thyestes to comment on the dangers of absolute political power?
• In what ways do the characters of Atreus and Thyestes challenge or conform to traditional roles of victim and villain?
• How does the language and structure of the play create a sense of horror and suspense?
• What role do Stoic ideas play in the characters’ decisions and the overall message of the play?
• How does the motif of the polluted banquet symbolize larger themes of corruption and moral collapse?
• Does the play offer any hope for justice or restoration, or is its vision of human nature entirely bleak?
• How might audiences in Nero’s Rome have interpreted the play differently from modern readers?
• To what extent is Thyestes a reflection of Seneca’s own political and philosophical concerns?

Critical approaches & debates

Scholarship on Joe Park Poe's An Analysis of Seneca's Thyestes engages mainly with formalist and stylometric methods, examining the play’s structure, language, and authorship questions. Formalist critics focus on Seneca’s use of rhetorical devices and tragic conventions, while stylometric analysis debates the purity of Senecan authorship, with some arguing for mixed authorship or editorial intervention. Feminist readings highlight the portrayal of female figures as agents of chaos, contrasting with classical patriarchal frameworks. Marxist or postcolonial critiques are rare but might stress power dynamics and imperial context. Disagreements mostly center on Seneca's authorship authenticity and thematic interpretations of violence and revenge.

Key passages

Poe’s analysis highlights Thyestes’ soliloquy where he grapples with fate and paternal betrayal, marked by intense metaphor and pathos. This passage employs vivid imagery and rhetorical questions, deepening character complexity while advancing themes of power and revenge. Its structural placement at a dramatic turning point intensifies the tension, showcasing Seneca’s mastery in blending psychological insight with poetic style.

Bibliography

Joe Park Poe, An Analysis of Seneca's Thyestes, Cornell University, 1959, 210 pp. Foundational for thematic and structural study. Seneca’s Thyestes (primary text). Recent stylometric studies on Seneca’s works clarify authorship questions. Related: J. P. Poe, “Octavia Praetexta and Its Senecan Model,” American Journal, 1969, for comparative analysis.