Medea

40 Pages·1956·0.62 MB·English

by  Lucius Annaeus Seneca

MEDEA
The Libraroyf LiberaAlr ts
OSKAR PIEST, FOUNDER

MEDEA
SENECA
Translatedw,i tha n Introductiobny,
MOSESH ADAS
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COPYRIGHT @ 1056
THE LIBERAL ARTS PRESS,I NC.
A Division of
THE BOBBS MERRILL COMPANY, INC.
Printedi n the United Stateso f America
Library of Congress CatalogC ard Number: 66-1501
FifthP rinting
INTRODUCTION
Jasowna st hes ono fA esonk,i ngo fI olcuisn T hesasly.
\'\Thenh isu nclPee ilass eiztehde t hronJea,s ont,h ena n in·
fantw,a s spiriteadn dba rwoauhyg tu pb yt hec entauCrh iron.
Upon reachimnagn hoodh er eturnteodd emandt hek ing·
dom,a ndP eliaagsr eetdo s urrendietri fJ asowno uld fetch
theG oledn Fleecweh,i chw as in thep ossens soifo King
Aeeteosf C olchainsd g uradedb y an ever-twcahfdurla gon.
For thise nterprAirsgeu sw,i thA thenah'esl pb,u iltth e
worldfi'rsst s hipt,h eA rgow,h icwha sm annedb yf ifhteyr oes,
incdliungs uchp ersonaagseH se rclue,sO rpheuCsa,s toarn d
PolluTxh,e seusa,n d their lTihkee m.o stf amosu oft he
manyp eriolfst hev oyagwea st hep assatgher ougthh eS ym·
plegadmeosu,n tnasiw hicghu adredt hee ntrantcoet heB lack
Seab y clasnhg itogeetrh;a ftetrh eA rgoe ludetdh emt hese
mountaiwnesr efi xeda parAtt.C olchKiisn gA eeteasg reetdo
surrnedert heF leeicfeJ asno woulpdl ouga hfi eld wai tteha m
offi reb-reatngh ibullasn ds owi t widtrha gont'ese twhh ich
woulds pirngi ntaor meds oledrisA.p hrodictaeu seAde etes'
daughtMeerd eat of aliln l ovwei thJa sona,n ds hep rovided
magimce ansb y whichh em astertehde b ullasn dt hee arth·
borns olideryt;h en slhuel ltehde w atchfdurla gotno s elep
ands ailoeffd wiJtahs oann dt heG oldne FleecTeo. r etard
pusruisth ek ieldlh erb rothAebrs yrtaunsd s rtewedh isd is·
membereldi msb overt hes eaA.t IolcuMse,d ead eceived
Peliadsa'u gtherisn taot temnpgt tior ejuventahteei fra ther
by cuttingh imi np ieecsa ndb oinlgi him;t hec onesquent
hostiitloyf P elsi'sa onA castfuosr ceJda sno andM edeat ofl ee
toC ornithH.e ret helyi vefdo rs omey earasn dh adt wos on;s
but steoc ureh isp osiitonJ asonr esolvteodd ismiMsesd ea
andm arrKy ing Creond'as ugehrtC,r eusIan.h err esetnment
att hibse trayMaeld eam urderetdh eitrw os onsa,n dh erself
escapiedna charidorta wnb y twofl ynig dragnos.
Thes otryo f tAhreg oa ndt heG oledn Fleecies oonfe
5
6 SENECA
Euorpe'osl desHto.m er( Odys1s2e.y7 0) sopfei atka ssa fa·
militahri ,n Pgindadre alwsi thi ti no ne ohfi s lonagneds t
fineosdte s( thFeo urPtyht hiaannd)i t,i st he subojfet chte
beste pici nG reekn ext Htoom er'tsh,e A rgonauotfi ca
ApololniuosfR hodeTsh.e cenitrnatrlee sotf t heA rgonautica,
andt hefi rst fturletlam enotf r omantliocv ei nE uropean
lirtateurei,st hee pisoodfeJ asoann dM edeaw,h ichse rved
Vergialsa modelf ort heD idoe pisoidne tAheen eidB.u t
fart hem ostf amilainacri etnerta temnt of tlhoev aen dh ate
ofJ ason a1\nIde deiast heM edeao fE uripidwehsi,c ihs the
modelf orS encea'psl ay.
Euriipdest'h emel,i kSee necai'sts h,e r eactioofan p assion­
atew omanw hen herh usbandde serhtesrf ora youngebrr ide.
Euripidneosm orea pprovoefsM edea'vse ngeantchea n does
Senecoar a nys anem an,b utE uripidiesas l scoo ncedr nteo
criticizec osnovceinatliw ohnisc whe reu ltimatreelsyp onsible
fort het ragye-dmascluien smugnetsosw arwdo mena ndG reek
smugnetsso warfdo reignWehresn. M edear eproacJhaesso n
withi ngartiteu hde repltiheahtsi sg ratidteu,i fa nyi sd ue,
mustg o tAop hrod:i Mteedeac ould ndoo other ftahlaln
inl ovwei thh ima nds ervhei m.O n thceo ntrasrhyes, h ould
beg rtaefutloh imf ort akinhger f roma barbarilaann da nd
bringihnegrt oc ivliidz eandl aw-abidGirnege ce.
To thesoer othesro ciiamlp licatoifo ntssh teo rSye neca
isi ndiffereEnvte.no n thmea tter kionfg shwihpe,r ea s a
Stoiacn dt utotro tay ranSte neciasr egulacrolnyc edr neto
emphasitzhee rooflt eh ek inags s ernvatr athetrh amna ster,
thei mplicatoifo tnhsi psl aya ree quivocMaeld.e as cores
tyranannyd a dvocatmeodse ratibount,s hed oess on oto ut
ofc onvictbiuotno nlyt ot emoprizaen,d i ti sC reonv'esr y
yielditnhgam ta kesth eh orriboluteoc me possIibftl heep. l ay
hasa n ethiccaoln teintti st hat stpraosnsgi o(ntsh Set oics
calletdh emp erturobna)st aire harmafnudml a ke luinflevi ·
able.E acho fS enecap'lsa yisn,d eesdh,o wst hea wfuclo nse·
quenceosf s omep assiaonnd, tihne M edeat hep assiiosln o ve.
Bute venw ithoSutto imco raliztihnedg is plaoyfc olospsaasl·
siocna nb ee difyiTnhge.s pectaocfle em otionianlt etnysa,is
EDITOR'SI l"TRODUGriON 7
ofe xtraordipnraorwye ss otihne dre partmenetnsal,r getsh e
spectatpoerre'cpsit ono fh umanp oteinatleista indv icariously
enhnacehsi so wns tature.
Int heM edeaa, si nh ios thetrr agedSieense,c a's opbrjiemcet
seemts ob e toc retaeh ugefi gurecsa paeb olft racnesndent
intnesiyt;a ndt oc ommuincatteh eierx traordiqnuaalriyyt he
endowtsh emw ithp oweorv enr ateu irteslafn dl avisuhpeos n
thema llt hed istinchtiisso pnl endid rhiesct aoaprbilcoe f .
To a literal-maigneds eudp erhumlaann guaglei,k seu epr­
humanp ersonaagnedse motiomnasy,b es uspencetev;r tehless,
Medm providaesse ffetciviel lumtiinoaonf a tehme central
toh aloff l iteraatsu reda on y oift tsh ousaandda ptations.
Theseb eawri tnetsost hep erneniarle levaonfc e the theme;
thaitt s uiteRdo mant astiesi ndciatebdy tfhae ct that in
Sencea'osw nc entuOrvyi dw rotae h ighplrya is(ebdu utn ofr­
tuntaellyo stM)e deaa ndV aelriuFsl acceuxsp andeAdp ol­
'onius'i nea p Liact ivne rison.
Becausoeu rg eneratfiaovno rtsh ec ommonplaicnev ocab­
ulary saynndt aax s,a tisfatcrtaonrsyl aotfiS oenn eciash arder
toa chietvoed atyh ane vebre forWeh.e n factucaolne tnti so f
thee ssence,t ratnhes lmaatyol re gitimarteedluycre h teoritco
a moref amiliar bluetsv ueclah, p roceduwroeu lsd trSiepn eca
of atlhlam ta kesh imm ovinagn dm eaningafnudll eavoen ly
a barfer amewoorfkf rihgtfnuelssH.i sr hetowriacsu ndou­bt
edly satsr iktionS ge neccao'ntse mporaraisie tsi st ou s,w ith
thed ifferentchea tto t hemi te nrichaendd gavem eaning to
thep loitn t hew ayt hamtu siecn richtehsem cJ.ningo fa n
othweirsei nidfferenotp erlai breftotrou s.I ndeeidt i sv ery
doubtftuhla Ste necap'lsa ywse ree veirn tendefdo rf ulple r­
formancei;ti sm orel iketlhya tth ewye rep resnetedby caa st
ofr ecitleriska,en o ratorio.
Senecad'ast easr e4 B.C.-6A5..BD e.s idensi net ragedies
(Octathveti eant,ih n t hec ollectiispo rno,b abblyya nother
han)dh ew rotae n umbero fe thiceasls aaynsd n umeroupsh il­
osophi'c"altlee rtsa, t'r"e atoinsn ea turhails toarnyd,a satire
ont hed eificatoifo nt ehmep eroCrl audius.
MOSES HADAS

MEDEA