ABSTRACT
Lucius Annaeus Seneca, ‘Seneca the Younger’ was a prolific writer, philosopher, orator and statesman in imperial Rome. His dramatic works, in particular the tragedies he wrote, influenced later Renaissance theatre and Elizabethan England where playwrights such as Marlowe and Shakespeare imitated parts of his style. Stoic philosophy then, obtained a particular importance for Seneca as he was able to use it to help himself find comfort in such times and to help others achieve happiness. Seneca believed that it is the internal life, the tranquillity and peace that comes from within oneself, that is the supreme goal and the ultimate gift of philosophy. Seneca was one of the few philosophers who were sympathetic to the weaknesses in men’s characters as they attempted to live well and virtuously. He acknowledged that the practices he advocated were difficult and needed practice.
