Revenge served hot: Seneca’s Thyestes Erica Bexley

eneca’s Thyestes is a tragedy about brutal revenge and bitter ing is still insufficient. Amazingly, Atreus hatred between two brothers. Thyestes has committed adul- never truly manages to feel satisfied, even S after he has achieved all of his wishes by tery with Aerope, the wife of his brother Atreus. In response, compelling Thyestes to consume his Atreus butchers Thyestes’ children and serves them to him, offspring. In the play’s final act, although Atreus once again refers to his crime as cooked. But why does Atreus go to such gruesome lengths? And ‘more than enough’ (abunde est, 889), he why does Thyestes fall straight into Atreus’ trap? Join Erica goes on to complain of his continuing Bexley as she searches for answers in the dark and dangerous dissatisfaction (sed cur satis sit? 890). The more Atreus accomplishes, it seems, the world of Senecan drama. more he wants to accomplish. Far from quenching his desire for revenge, Atreus Family is an important theme in Seneca’s fruit, it rose beyond his reach. As Seneca’s ends up being consumed by it. play. When Atreus makes his first appear- play begins, Tantalus is in hell, tormented ance on stage, he explains that Thyestes by a Fury who forces him to revisit the has wronged him by seducing his wife and world of the living and inspire wickedness Thyestes is tempted usurping his position as king of Mycenae. in his descendants. Tantalus has no choice These events appear to have happened but to obey the Fury, and his actions make How, then, does Thyestes fit into this several years in the past, and although him partly responsible for the tragic contorted family tree? And why does he Atreus has recovered his crown in the events that follow. In fact, Tantalus fall prey to Atreus’ murderous plot? meantime, he still wants to exact revenge. becomes a symbol for everything that is According to Atreus himself, Thyestes is A proud and violent man, Atreus feels about to happen between Atreus and a bloodthirsty criminal always searching humiliated by the insults he has suffered Thyestes: he represents not only murder for the opportunity to perpetrate terrible at his brother’s hands. He is also anxious and cannibalism, but also greed and deeds. One of the ways in which Atreus about the parentage of his two sons, desire. Tantalus, as we shall see, embod- justifies his revenge is by claiming that Agamemnon and Menelaus; he suspects ies hunger in its purest form. Thyestes would do exactly the same, if they might be Thyestes’ children. It is only he had the chance. But the Thyestes partly because of this suspicion that we meet in the play’s third act does not Can’t get no satisfaction Atreus decides to invite his brother back immediately match this description. He is from exile and trick him into an act of returning from exile, where he has learnt cannibalism. In a bizarre and illogical As well as suffering from hunger, Tantalus to enjoy the peace and quiet of simple way, Atreus wants to ensure the legitimacy imposes it on the world around him. When country life. Spending time away from the of his own sons by forcing Thyestes to eat he stalks towards Atreus’ palace, he causes palace has taught Thyestes the valuable his. Atreus also thinks that if he involves riverbeds to dry up (107–8) and fruit to lesson that absolute power brings only Agamemnon and Menelaus in his plot, shrivel on its branches (110–11). This is distrust, fear, and unhappiness. In contrast their willingness to harm Thyestes will exactly the same kind of punishment that to Atreus’ excess, Thyestes speaks of prove that they are, in fact, Atreus’ legiti- Tantalus himself endures in the under- moderation (455–70). He also suspects mate children. If this process of reasoning world. It is also a punishment that he will Atreus’ motives, which shows that he is seems odd to you, that’s because it is odd. visit upon his grandchildren: he will, as not deceived by the superficial kindness of But Atreus does not care about whether his the Fury says, make them thirst for blood his brother’s invitation. Atreus asks revenge makes sense: he just wants to hurt (sitiant cruorem, 102). In Atreus’ case, Thyestes to share the kingdom with him. Thyestes’ side of the family in much the this thirst is metaphorical; in Thyestes’, it If Thyestes is as wise as he appears to be, same way that Thyestes has hurt his. is horribly literal. why does he accept? The back story to this cycle of violence Unlike Tantalus, Atreus doesn’t care The answer is that Thyestes is weak, not begins with Atreus and Thyestes’ grand- about the demands of his stomach; he is wise. Although he preaches moderation, father, Tantalus, who appears in the first hungry only for revenge. In the play’s he can’t resist the opportunity to resume scene of Seneca’s play. Tantalus has been second act, when he is busy deciding royal power. It is clear from Thyestes’ punished for a crime similar to Atreus’: he which crimes to commit against his very first speech that he longs for the killed and cooked his own child, Pelops, brother, Atreus remarks that he does not wealth and glory that attends the kingship serving him up at a banquet of the gods. yet feel mad enough (satis, 252) and that of Mycenae (404–11). As a result, he alter- Horrified by the trick, the gods he wants to be filled (impleri, 253) with nates between fear and desire, unsure condemned Tantalus to stand eternally in yet more monstrous intent. He continues whether to accept Atreus’ offer or to flee a river, while enticing clusters of fruit to seek satisfaction throughout the play, once more into the woods. The children grew from trees above his head. Whenever first declaring his manner of revenge notice their father’s reluctance and Tantalus bent to drink the water, the river ‘more than enough’ (abunde, 279), but persuade him to proceed. Significantly, dried up; whenever he stretched to eat the concluding, later on, that Thyestes’ suffer- Thyestes’ eldest son is named Tantalus,

12 which makes him into a powerful symbol torture Thyestes is a similar way, by bottom, men in the middle, gods at the top. of hunger and temptation. Just like his letting his children ‘punish’ him (1112). When Atreus kills and cooks Thyestes’ great-grandfather, young Tantalus incites Thyestes’ children become a source of children, he destroys this hierarchy Thyestes’ immoral desires: the boy argues regret and anguish – because he has eaten entirely. Given the important role food in favour of kingship, as a consequence of them – just as Atreus’ children become a plays in constructing and maintaining which he draws his father back into a source of regret and anguish because their social relationships, it is not surprising world of violence and tyrannical greed. Of bloodline is uncertain. that Atreus’ crime has far-reaching conse- course, young Tantalus’ arguments are Atreus delights in such perverse ideas, quences, consequences that affect not only well meant – he does not intend his father and draws attention to them in the scene Thyestes, but the universe as well. any harm – but they also evoke a way of immediately following Thyestes’ life that Thyestes has been trying in vain banquet. At this late stage in the drama, Punishment to escape. Thyestes is full to bursting and more than In another respect, young Tantalus a little uncomfortable. He asks to see his resembles the Fury of Act 1. Just as this sons. Atreus replies that Thyestes has his Seneca’s play has a strange ending: hellish creature goads Tantalus senior, so sons – no day will ever take them from Thyestes suffers while Atreus appears to Tantalus junior goads his father. Both him! Atreus also mixes wine with the chil- get off scot-free. Instead of being victims respond in similar ways, too: the dren’s blood and urges Thyestes to drink punished for his crimes, Atreus boasts that elder Tantalus declares he will follow the from ‘the family cup’ (poculum gentile, he is ‘equal to the stars’ (aequalis astris, Fury (sequor, 100), while Thyestes 982–3). This scene shows that Atreus is 885) and remarks arrogantly that he is remarks to his sons, ‘I follow you, I do not cruel to the point of insanity: any normal capable of banishing the gods (dimitto lead’ (ego vos sequor, non duco). Seneca banquet would be a moment for Thyestes superos, 888). Where is the justice in this? draws our attention to this similarity to reaffirm his connection with his family. When people read the Thyestes, they often because he wants us to be aware of With Atreus as host, however, that feel dissatisfied with the way it ends: they Thyestes’ weakness. He wants to show us, connection becomes hideously literal! want to see good triumph over evil, and too, that Thyestes has the potential to be And revolting! they don’t like the fact that Atreus is not as wicked and greedy as his grandfather, punished for his wickedness. But is this Tantalus. In the end, it appears that Atreus really the case? I think Atreus does suffer, Beasts, gods, men, food was right to paint such a black picture of not physically, but mentally and emotion- Thyestes’ character. ally. He is tortured by his anxieties and he Clearly, Atreus’ house is not somewhere never manages to feel satisfied. The you would want to go for dinner. The monstrosity of Atreus’ crimes also makes Adulterers and cannibals crime Atreus commits is truly shocking; it him into a kind of monster, or beast. In this seems even worse when we consider that way, Atreus becomes his own punishment, Atreus’ choice of revenge may seem it overturns all rules of hospitality and destroying his humanity in order to strange at first – why repay adultery with sacrifice. The meal that Atreus serves avenge himself upon his brother. Atreus enforced cannibalism? How could these marks him out as a brutish, uncivilized ends up being the victim of his own two acts possibly be connected? If we host. He perverts the practice of welcom- wickedness, so perhaps there is some examine it closely, Atreus’ revenge actu- ing and entertaining a guest to the extent justice after all. ally reveals a peculiar kind of logic: he that his behaviour places him outside the punishes Thyestes’ appetite for sex via his standard boundaries of human society. Erica Bexley is a lecturer at the University appetite for food. By committing adultery Seneca reinforces this idea by likening of Swansea She is working on a book with Atreus’ wife, Thyestes has upset the Atreus to various kinds of aggressive about character and identity in Senecan balance of normal family relationships. In animals: he is a hunting dog (497–503); a tragedy. recompense, Atreus further confuses the tigress (707–11); a lion (732–6). Although boundaries of Thyestes’ bloodline, forcing Thyestes is the one who has, actually, been him into an unnatural interrelationship living in the wilderness, Atreus is the one with his own offspring. In a sense, Atreus who behaves like a wild beast. reunites the family bonds, just in a very On a more complex level, Atreus also twisted way. commits a crime against religion, because Thyestes’ cannibalism bears a remark- he slaughters Thyestes’ children as if he able resemblance to pregnancy; he has, were conducting a sacrifice to the gods. He after all, put his own children inside his refers to Thyestes’ sons as sacrificial belly. He even describes his own fullness animals (victimas, 545) and he undertakes in terms that make it sound as if the chil- the killing with meticulous attention to dren were living things, moving about ritual detail. In Greek and Roman religion, inside him. Turmoil shakes Thyestes’ guts sacrifice is meant to promote communion (999) and something seems to groan deep between men and gods. But Atreus, by within his stomach (1001). The idea that corrupting the ritual, sets the gods to Thyestes could be ‘pregnant’ makes his flight. The Sun is so sickened by Atreus’ punishment seem even more appropriate deeds that he plunges the world into dark- because it combines the themes of sex and ness. food into one gruesome event. Atreus, you As Seneca explores these themes of may recall, spends a lot of the play worry- hospitality and sacrifice, he demonstrates ing about the legitimacy of his own chil- the important role that food plays in social dren, which means that he worries about ritual. Eating together is a way for people his wife’s past pregnancies. To rid himself to acknowledge social bonds; sacrifice, of this worry, he forces a strange version likewise, promotes social cohesion and of pregnancy upon his brother. Atreus’ defines man’s place in relationship to the anxiety about parentage tortures him gods. Food may even be said to determine throughout the drama, so he decides to a basic hierarchy, with beasts at the

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