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Transcriber’s Notes:

Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_).

Additional Transcriber’s Notes are at the end.

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A TRANSLATION OF OCTAVIA, A LATIN TRAGEDY, WITH NOTES AND INTRODUCTION


  BY ELIZABETH TWINING HALL, A. B., 1900

  THESIS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS IN THE GRADUATE SCHOOL

  UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS

  1901

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UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS

_May 29_ 190_1_

THIS IS TO CERTIFY THAT THE THESIS PREPARED UNDER MY SUPERVISION BY

_Elizabeth Hall_

ENTITLED _Translation of Octavia, a Latin Tragedy with Notes and
Introduction_

IS APPROVED BY ME AS FULFILLING THIS PART OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE
DEGREE OF _A.M._

  _Herbert J Barton_
  HEAD OF DEPARTMENT OF _Latin_.




INTRODUCTION


Octavia is the only extant tragedy in fabula praetexta or historical
Roman tragedy in Roman scene and setting. It is remarkably true to
fact, and almost every statement may be verified by reference to the
ancient historians.

It deals with the sad story of Octavia, the daughter of Claudius and
Messalina. Married against her will when only twelve years old to Nero,
a lad of sixteen, she was after five years divorced by her husband on
a charge of barrenness in favor of Poppaea Sabina, and in 62 A.D. was
banished to a desert island there to be executed.

The play is a well rounded whole, all the parts are well worked out,
and the characters are vivid and lifelike. There is a force and majesty
in the tragedy which carries the reader through without pause. The sad
story of Octavia forms the plot, but the poet has interwoven political
motives and represents the people as taking Octavia’s part. This only
serves to hasten her death, for Nero eagerly seizes upon this as a
pretext to condemn her.

There are five acts in the play, and each is closed by chants from
the chorus which serve to explain the action further. There are many
references to history and mythology, but the atmosphere is distinctly
Roman. At no time do three actors appear on the stage in the same
scene. The characters are exactly as one would expect from a close
study of history and are delineated with marvelous skill and fidelity.

The versification is confined to iambic meters in the dialogues, while
the choruses, though they form a very prominent feature, are restricted
to anapestic systems somewhat loosely constructed.

The play is really a bitter impeachment of Nero and was composed
shortly after his death in 68 A.D. The tragedy of Octavia for a long
time was supposed to be written by Seneca and was handed down to
posterity with his genuine dramas, but later authorities ascribe its
authorship possibly to Curiatius Maternus. There is unmistakable
evidence in the words of the play that it was composed after Nero’s
death, and this would render the authorship of Seneca entirely out of
the question since he died three years before Nero.

There is perceptible the strong influence of Greek tragedy, but
the plot and setting are distinctly original. Octavia has the
characteristics of tragedy as laid down by Aristotle, that the aim is
to purify the passions by means of action exciting pity for the actors
and fear for the hearers, and that the leading characters must partly
occasion their own misfortunes. Octavia conforms to the old Greek idea
of the unities of time, place, and action. The place of action is
confined to the palace of Nero; the action may be considered as taking
place in one day and night; and the action forms a whole of which
each part has its proper place and the parts follow one another in
logical order.




CAST OF CHARACTERS


  NERO, THE EMPEROR
  SENECA, THE TUTOR OF NERO
  PREFECT
  MESSENGER
  OCTAVIA, THE DIVORCED WIFE OF NERO
  POPPAEA, THE MISTRESS OF NERO
  NURSE OF OCTAVIA
  NURSE OF POPPAEA
  AGRIPPINA, MOTHER OF NERO
  CHORUS




OCTAVIA, A TRAGEDY.


_OCTAVIA_: Already glorious Aurora[1] chases the wandering stars from
the sky. Titan,[2] with radiant hair, rises and returns a clear day to
the world. Come, thou[3] who art burdened by so many great misfortunes,
utter once more thy sad lamentations. Surpass the kingfishers[4] and
the swift nightingales, for thy fate is more grievous than theirs.
O, mother, for whom I have always mourned, the first cause of my
misfortunes, (if any consciousness exists in the shades) hear the
sad lamentations of thy daughter. Would that Clotho[5] had broken my
threads with her own aged hand before I saw thy features sprinkled with
loathsome blood.[6] O, day always fatal to