Octavia Praetexta

by Unknown

"Octavia Praetexta" by Lucius Annaeus Seneca and Carl Hosius is a Roman tragedy written sometime after 65 AD. Set over three days in 62 AD, the play dramatizes Emperor Nero's divorce of his wife Claudia Octavia and marriage to Poppaea Sabina. As political tensions rise and the populace grows restless, the philosopher Seneca struggles to counsel his imperial patron against tyrannical impulses. The drama weaves together prophetic visions, popular unrest, and personal tragedy, culminating in Octavia's exile and the looming downfall of the Julio-Claudian dynasty.