Effer In Medium Metus: Expressions of Trauma in Seneca\u27s Troades

Lucius Annaeus Seneca, more commonly referred to simply as Seneca, was a Roman philosopher and tragedian who lived during the 1st century CE. He is famous for being the tutor and eventual advisor to the Emperor Nero, as well as for his numerous philosophical writings and his tragedies. One of the most prominent features of both his philosophical texts and his plays is his interest in human psychology. This interest often manifests in visceral representations of trauma throughout his tragedies. The Troades is a play which centers entirely on the experiences of women who have, and still are, experiencing horrific traumas. Set after the mythological fall of Troy, Seneca’s Troades follows Hecuba, Andromache, and a chorus of Trojan women in the time leading up to their departure from Troy as slaves to the Greek men who have destroyed their city and murdered their husbands and sons. By examining Seneca’s text through the lens of major trauma theorists such as Sigmund Freud and Cathy Caruth, this thesis highlights the ways that the Troades focalizes the voices of female survivors through in-depth explorations of the various ways trauma impacts the human psyche