In the first year of Emperor Claudius’ reign (41-54 ce), Seneca was charged with committing adultery with Claudius’ niece Julia Livilla. He rose from advocate (lawyer), to quaestor (a state official), and then to senator. The younger Seneca was educated in Rome, where he studied rhetoric and philosophy and earned renown as an orator while still young. When he rejects her, she falsely accuses him of rape, with dire consequences for the family.Įvents in History at the Time of the PlayĮvents in History at the Time the Play Was Writtenīorn around 3 bce in Cordova, Spain, Lucius Annaeus Seneca was a son of Seneca the Elder, who devoted himself to educating his sons in the study of rhetoric. 54 ce.Ī woman conceives an incestuous passion for her stepson. A tragic play set in Athens, Greece during an unspecified mythological time published in Latin c.
