What is it about?
Senecan drama, notably his tragedy Trojan women, was popular in Early modern Europe and circulated in various translations and adaptations. Focusing on three adaptations: Martin Opitz’s Trojanerinnen (1625), Robert Garnier’s La Troade (1579) and Jean Racine’s Andromaque (1667), the article retraces the ways in which these adaptations explore the dramatic potential inherent in the Senecan model and myth of the Trojan women. The early modern playwrights, I argue, try to make their works resonate with their own time. In the plays here discussed, the scenes of the Trojan war thus reflect and recreate the horrors of the Early modern religious wars which at the time engulfed almost all European countries. In this context, special attention is given to the female characters of the plays who stand out as the chief victims of the afflictions of war. In vivid scenes the plays depict the women’s sufferings and emotions. The plays thus evoke both intellectual and emotional engagement from their audiences.
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Why is it important?
The article explores the role of the female protagonists drawing on recent approaches in the field of the history of emotions and reception studies.
Perspectives
The collaborative project "Transnational Encounters in Early Modern Drama" directed by Jan Bloemendal and Dinah Wouters gave me the opportunity to probe into this important subject matter and to venture a first attempt at its exploration.
Linda Simonis
Ruhr-Universitat Bochum
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This page is a summary of: ‘Trojan Women’ in Early Modern Drama, June 2025, De Gruyter,
DOI: 10.1163/9789004724280_005.
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