La Mort de Sénèque

by Tristan L'Hermite

Sabine Poppée, épouse de Néron, est jalouse de l'influence de Sénèque sur son élève. Elle essaie de perdre le philosophe, qui a refusé de prendre part à une conspiration, bien qu'il sache sa vie menacée. Les conjurés découverts, Néron soumet à la question les coupables, qui avouent, sauf la courageuse Épicharis. Persuadé par Sabine de la complicité de Sénèque, Néron lui donne l'ordre de s'ouvrir les veines.

176 pages, Paperback

First published February 13, 2013

About the author

François L'Hermite du Solier, called Tristan L'Hermite, was a French nobleman and writer: dramatist, poet, and novelist.

Reviews

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gloomily reflecting on literature and its meaning in my life, I all of a sudden remember a play I read at university, at least fifteen years ago.

The Death of Seneca just reappeared miraculously in my labyrinthine bookish mind, and I felt happy knowing that it was still there, safely stored in my memory.

I read Tristan L'Hermite's complete oeuvre for a French literature class at university. We had a fantastic professor who was convinced that the magnificent plays would be completely forgotten if our small group did not spend a whole term comparing "La Mariane" and "La Mort de Sénèque" to the more frequently read plays by Corneille and Racine.

What a lovely term that was.

I think it triggered my interest both in theatre and in literary discussions. "Polyeucte", "Britannicus", "Phèdre", "Le Cid", they were all compared and contrasted to the half-forgotten Tristan L'Hermite.

As we relied on the university library (in a city I have long left) for copies of the plays, I do not have any of his plays at home, but I just found his autobiographical novel Le Page disgracié in my Folio Classique collection, and I will certainly reread parts of it. I wonder if the plays are still available at any of the online bookstores that deliver French literature to Sweden.

It is quite funny how you all of a sudden remember a past reading experience and realise that it still means a lot to you. I certainly still know that we were very engaged in the different characterisations of Nero in "Britannicus" and "La Mort de Sénèque", and that I thought I had very mature opinions about that - something I rather doubt now! I would love to be able to follow my own tracks back in time and evaluate what I thought was a game-changing experience back then. If I still had the notes I took during the lessons, that would be like time travelling to an awkward, cringe-worthy, but enlightening place.

I still vividly feel my stuttering when trying to put my naive thoughts into rudimentary French, hoping to get my point across. It was my first encounter with high literature in comparison, and I drew from my history classes to understand the authors' approaches to Nero. I was nervous and passionately in love with reading and writing, blushing every time I forced myself to speak up. I did it to please the professor whose knowledge and enthusiasm I admired beyond reason. She was a mother of three, probably about forty - thus pretty much like me now. But I still believe in my heart that it is impossible to acquire her level of understanding in literature. She introduced Dante and classical drama in my life.

This sudden memory also makes me realise that an enthusiastic teacher or professor makes all the difference, and I feel grateful for her passionate approach to the drama of l'âge classique, as it evidently rubbed off on me, giving me a purpose in my professional life. There is nothing I believe in more than making literature and history come alive, - making it meaningful for the next generation.

I am aware this review is not so much about the play itself as about my reaction to it and the long-term effect it had on my reading and teaching habits! I will hopefully be able to fill in more details if I get hold of a copy to reread it!

However, this memory did something else for me today. It gave me back my naive happy love for classical literature, half-forgotten excitement resurfacing when despair is lurking.

Finding Tristan L'Hermite in the hidden corner of my memory is a bit like Shelley's Ozimandias rising from the desert sands, again proudly residing over his ancient lands, exclaiming:

"My name is Ozimandias, King of Kings,
Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!
...
Nothing besides remains..."

But it is more than enough! A glimpse of greatness past!

[Aaron Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm actually stunned by how good this is. It moves quickly; it's filled with interesting cliffhangers and dynamic dramaturgy; it has a superior pair of characters in Nero and Epicharis; and it has the Roman Empire! This is surprisingly excellent. This is not Racine. In other words, it's not interesting from a literary or poetic point of view, which is perhaps why it has received no accolades, but as drama, La Mort de Sénèque is great.

[Margaux · Rating 3 out of 5]

On comprend l inspiration de Racine pour son personnage de Néron, mais sans plus...

[Olivia · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Ah ! Ne meurs point si tôt.
-je ne saurais plus vivre.
-Vis pour me contenter.
-Je mourrai pour vous suivre"

[Angelina · Rating 2 out of 5]

je l'ai étudié pendant un an et je n'en ai quasiment aucun souvenir, c'est vous dire l'intensité de cette pièce (non)