Elizabethan Seneca

<p>In the early Elizabethan period nine of the ten tragedies attributed to the ancient Roman statesman philosopher and playwright Seneca (<em>c</em>. 1 BCE-65 CE) were translated for the first time into English and these translations shaped Seneca's dramatic legacy as it would be known to later authors and playwrights.</p><p>This edition enables readers to appreciate the distinct style and aims of three milestone translations: Jasper Heywood's <em>Troas </em>(1559) and <em>Thyestes </em>(1560) and John Studley's <em>Agamemnon </em>(1566). The plays are presented in modern spelling and accompanied by critical notes clarifying the translators' approaches to rendering Seneca in English. The introduction provides important context including a survey of the transmission and reception of Seneca from the first through to the sixteenth century and an analysis and comparison of the style of the three translations. </p>