Seneca, Lucius Annaeus (4 B. C-65 A. D.)

Seneca, Lucius Annaeus (4 B. C-65 A. D.)

Latin philosopher and dramatist, a member of the School of Stoicism, known for the rhetorical tragedies called by his name. These include Hercules, Troades, Phoenissae, Medea, Phaedra, Agamemnon, Oedipus, and Thyestes. Marked by violence, bloodshed, bombast, and characters of little individuality or differentiation, they bad an important influence on the tragic drama of Italy, France, and especially Elizabethan England.

Seneca was a tutor of Nero and, when the latter succeeded to the throne of emperor, became an important imperial official, building up a great fortune. When he lost favor, his fortune was confiscated and he committed suicide at Nero's command. His Naturales Questiones was used as a textbook of physical science during the Middle Ages.

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