Seneca’s Medea: Beware Pure Evil

Episode 41

In this episode I take a detailed look at Seneca's version of Medea. The story of a woman who is a foreigner and a witch suited his form of dark tragedy perfectly.

A summary of the narrative of the play

The impact of the language used and how it becomes overblown.

An analysis of the final scene and why Seneca might have chosen to make this the only moment of visual drama in the play.

Questions about how and if the play was staged and the use of stage machinery

Medea as a witch and how that plays into Roman tropes

The character of Jason an his effect on the play

A comparison of the Euripides version to Seneca's

The legacy of Seneca's tragedy on the medieval period.