About
Lucius Annaeus Seneca, known as Seneca the Younger, was a Roman Stoic philosopher, statesman, and dramatist of the 1st century. Born in Córdoba, in Baetica, he was educated in Rome and became tutor and advisor to Nero. Exiled to Corsica under Claudius, he returned in 49 to educate the future emperor. His philosophical works, such as the Letters to Lucilius and the Dialogues, expound a practical Stoic morality. His tragedies, including Medea and Thyestes, influenced European theater. Implicated in the Pisonian conspiracy, he was forced to commit suicide in 65.
Major works
- Epistulae Morales ad Luciliumphilosophical letters
- De Brevitate Vitaemoral essay
- De Iramoral essay
- Medeatragedy
- ApocolocyntosisMenippean satire
Key milestones
- 41Exiled to Corsica by Emperor Claudius.
- 49Recalled by Agrippina to become tutor to Nero.
- 65Forced to commit suicide on Nero's orders.
Themes
StoicismDeath and suicideAnger and mercyTime and brevity of lifeFortune and adversity
Sources: britannica.com · plato.stanford.edu · hup.harvard.edu