Excerpt from Three Tragedies of Seneca: Hercules Furens, Troades, Medea
The last decade has seen a revival of interest in the Latin Tragedy, which had long been neglected. In many colleges and universities the plays are studied now either in independent courses or as supplementary to work in the Comedy. The neglect, no doubt, was due in part to the want of available editions with English notes. On the Continent of Europe, especially in Germany, much labor has been devoted to the constitution of the text, and many monographs on various phases of the subject have been published. In England and America, on the other hand, little has been done for many years.
It has been the fashion to dismiss the Senecan tragedies airily as unworthy of serious attention; but such criticism seems to have been based in most cases on slight firsthand acquaintance with them. Undeniably they have their faults, yet have withal a real interest and value, first as the sole remains of an important branch of Roman literature, second for their own content and style, and third for their direct and powerful influence upon the English drama of the Elizabethan age. Most of them, furthermore, may be compared directly with their Greek originals, an advantage we do not enjoy in studying the Latin Comedy.
In this edition no attempt at a critical treatment of the text has been made, but the aim throughout has been to give such aid as will enable an intelligent student of average preparation to understand and appreciate the plays themselves.
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