Seneca's Medea and De ira: justice and revenge

Abstract

I try to show Seneca’s Medea provides us with two elements -which, as far as I am aware, have not received proper attention- that complement his approach to the phenomenon of anger and can improve our understanding of the Stoic psychology of action defended in De ira. The first element is linked to the question of whether the angry person is responsive to reasons or not; the second one concerns the question of indifference, tolerance and forgiveness, and addresses the issue of Medea's inability to conceive of a more appropriate or desirable irtreaction to Jason’s offense than anger.

Keywords

• Roman Stoicism
• psychology of action
• intellectualism
• tolerance
• forgiveness