The course aims to familiarize students with the theater of Seneca, one of the most important moments of Latin literature, especially because of the impact that this theater has had in the following European culture.

The course will focus on the Seneca theater of which an extensive anthology will  be proposed. Texts from several tragedies will be read, translated and commented on, in order to highlight the main features of Seneca's style, both from a linguistic and theatrical point of view (the so-called division into acts, the role of the chorus, the relationship between dialogues and monologues, the treatment of stage time, etc.). Philological issues will also be covered such as the manuscript tradition of Seneca’s tragedies and literary themes such as the relationship with the Roman tragedy in republican age and imperial age and the Greek models. During the second semester the course will be focused on Seneca’s influence, in particular of Phaedra, in the Latin Jesuit theater and in contemporary theater.

At the end of the course students must be able to translate all the texts proposed in class, thus demonstrating a good competence of the Latin literary language. They must also demonstrate a good  knowledge of the features of Seneca's theater, both formal and literary.

The teaching material prepared by the lecturer in addition to recommended textbooks (such as for instance slides, lecture notes, exercises, bibliography) and communications from the lecturer specific to the course can be found inside the Moodle platform › blended.uniurb.it

The course will host seminars about the manuscript tradition of the Seneca’s tragedies, Seneca's theater influence in iconography, the relations between the tragedies of Seneca and the republican age and the imperial age, the influence of Seneca's theater in the Latin Jesuit theater and contemporary theater, and metric tutorials about the iambic trimeter.

Teaching

Lectures, seminars, tutorials.

Attendance

Students must attend at least 2/3 of the classes. 

Course books

The Seneca texts will be proposed in the critical edition of O. Zwierlein, L. Annaei Senecae Tragoediae, Oxford 1986.

Students must study:

E. Paratore, Il teatro di Seneca, in E. Paratore, Seneca Tragico, Urbino 2011, pp. 1-40.

R. J. Tarrant, Senecan Drama and its Antecedents, "HSPh" 82 (1978), pp. 213-263.

It is required to know, in Italian translation, all the tragedies of Seneca's corpus. It is also required to know, at least theoretically, the iambic trimeter, referred to S. Boldrini, La prosodia e la metrica dei Romani, Roma 1992.

Assessment

Oral exam. Students must be able to translate and analyze all the texts studied during the classes and the seminars.

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.

Course books

Non-attending students must be able to translate the Seneca tragedies Phaedra and Medea. The text of the two tragedies is determined by O. Zwierlein, L. Annaei Senecae Tragoediae, Oxford 1986.

Moreover, they must study:

E. Paratore, Il teatro di Seneca, in E. Paratore, Seneca Tragico, Urbino 2011, pp. 1-40; 

R. J. Tarrant, Senecan Drama and its Antecedents, "HSPh" 82 (1978), pp. 213-263; 

The introduction of G.G. Biondi (a cura di), Lucio Anneo Seneca. Medea. Fedra, Milano 1989 (and new editions); 

G. Guastella (cur.), Le rinascite della tragedia, Roma 2006.

It is required to know all the tragedies of Seneca's corpus in translation. It is required to know, in Italian translation, all the tragedies of Seneca's corpus. It is also required to know, at least theoretically, the iambic trimeter, referred to S. Boldrini, La prosodia e la metrica dei Romani, Roma 1992.

Assessment

Oral exam.

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.