The Oedipus of Lucius Annaeus Seneca (Paperback, illustrated edition)

-- Introduction to Seneca, with:
-- a comparison of ancient Greek and Roman drama
-- approaches to presenting the play for modern audiences

-- Text of Seneca's Oedipus in English adaptation

-- Appendix I: Senecan Sources for the New Choral Odes

-- Appendix II: Original Choral Odes

-- Illustrations: photographs from production of the play at Manhattan's Loewe Theatre

Rutenberg's adaptation of Seneca's Oedipus breaks new ground: it interpolates excerpts from Seneca's moral philosophies into the text. This juxtaposition of Seneca's calm, rational thought with the passionate, highly theatrical language of his play creates an exciting synergy of powerful emotional and intellectual appeal. Seneca believes that human beings live at the whim of blind chance or divine will. How do we face a tragedy not of our own making? How do we respond to something beyond our control? Seneca's central philosophical tenet is that we must try to accept suffering with dignity, grace, and mercy: a philosophy as relevant today, in a world filled with repeated horrors against innocents, as it was in ancient times.