Two Tragedies of Seneca Medea and The Daughters of Troy

Lucius Annaeus Seneca

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English

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Complete work

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Written by the author

MEDEA _DRAMATIS PERSONAE_ JASON. CREON. MEDEA. NURSE. MESSENGER. CHORUS OF CORINTHIAN WOMEN. SCENE--_Corinth._ MEDEA ACT I SCENE I _Medea_ [_alone_]. Ye gods of marriage; Lucina, guardian of the genial bed; Pallas, who taught the tamer of the seas To steer the Argo; stormy ocean's lord; Titan, dividing bright day to the world; 5 And thou three-formed Hecate, who dost shed Thy conscious splendor on the hidden rites! Ye by whom Jason plighted me his troth; And ye Medea rather should invoke: Chaos of night eternal; realm opposed 10 To the celestial powers; abandoned souls; Queen of the dusky realm; Persephone By better faith betrayed; you I invoke, But with no happy voice. Approach, approach, Avenging goddesses with snaky hair, 15 Holding in blood-stained hands your sulphurous torch! Come now as horrible as when of yore Ye stood beside my marriage-bed; bring death To the new bride, and to the royal seed, And Creon; worse for Jason I would ask-- 20 Life! Let him roam in fear through unknown lands, An exile, hated, poor, without a home; A guest now too well known, let him, in vain, Seek alien doors, and long for me, his wife! And, yet a last revenge, let him beget 25 Sons like their father, daughters like their mother! An exile, hated, poor, without a home; A guest now too well known, let him, in vain, Seek alien doors, and long for me, his wife! And, yet a last revenge, let him beget 25 Sons like their father, daughters like their mother! 'Tis done; revenge is even now brought forth-- I have borne sons to Jason. I complain Vainly, and cry aloud with useless words, Why do I not attack mine enemies? 30 I will strike down the torches from

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