Seneca's Tragic Hydrophobia: The Case Of Tantalus

Abstract: This article rereads the representation of Tantalus within Seneca's Thyestes as a metaphor for hydrophobic conditions. The first section contextualizes Tantalus within Senecan drama and explores his connection to hydrophobia in both medical and literary discourses. In the second section, the article's focus shifts to Tantalus's punishment, pointing out how it resonates with descriptions of hydrophobic behavior that can be found in medical sources (particularly Celsus and Caelius Aurelianus). The last section examines the ethical implications of Tantalus's hydrophobia against the general structure and meaning of the Thyestes , as well as Seneca's moral philosophy.