Senecan tragedy

[4] In the English literary canon, Seneca appears as a major influence on later texts about revenge, such as Titus Andronicus and The Crying of Lot 49.

[6] Scholars believe that, unlike Greek tragedians such as Euripides or Sophocles who focused on the dramatic form of their plays, Seneca used his dramas to teach and spread the philosophy of stoicism.

[5] In keeping with Seneca's philosophical background, his tragedies focus on ethical and moral problems, as opposed to the emotional and dramatic tensions that inspired other tragedians.

[6] The tragedies were written in five acts with a chorus; they featured violent and bloody plots as well as long philosophical meditations often in the form of monologues.

[4] In contrast, Seneca attempts a more philosophical approach, sensationalizing the plot using dramatic spectacles and an explicit retailing of violence.

Aeschylus is the original playwright of the story of the Oresteia, a trilogy containing the play of Agamemnon, who is a member of the cursed house of Atreus.

[13] While Seneca's plays evoke Aeschylus' Oresteia in narrative and characters, they also serve the important purpose of shedding light on unclear scenes in the original Agamemnon.

[18] In this, Seneca borrowed the philosophical overtone of his plays from Greek drama, and his tendency for spectacular violence from Roman theater.

The plays also gained prominence in English-speaking countries, as Senecan drama was some of the first classical work to be translated into English during this period.

All three share a revenge theme, a corpse-strewn climax, and The Spanish Tragedy and Hamlet also have ghosts among the cast; all of these elements can be traced back to the Senecan model.

French neoclassical dramatic tradition, which reached its highest expression in the 17th-century tragedies of Pierre Corneille and Jean Racine, drew on Seneca for form and grandeur of style.

Eliot gave an influential address in 1927 connecting Senecan drama with the works of Shakspeare and refuting past criticisms.

[21] The production was directed by renowned English director Peter Brook, who drew heavily from Antonin Artaud's Theater of Cruelty to emphasize the violence and bloodshed of the play.

Of particular note is Theyestes, which has been translated in 1994 by British playwright Caryl Churchill and in 2010 by Australian director and actor Simon Stone.