Tieste e Atreo prima di Seneca

Alice Bonandini

Abstract:

This paper examines the testimonia about the myth of Atreus and Thyestes, focusing in particular on how its reconstruction is influenced by Seneca’s Thyestes, the only surviving tragedy concerning such a myth. The inspection on attested fragments and indirect sources from the Greek and Roman tradition shows that the banquet episode, representing the core of Seneca's play, is part of a complex mythological system which is composed of many dramatic topics, providing different perspectives both on characters and the reasons of their conflict.