Reflections on the Justice and Ethics of War in Act II of Seneca’s Troades

Abstract

In contrast to his established persona in the previous literature, in Seneca’s Troades Agamemnon embodies traits of a wise person who has learned from his past. In his fierce debate with Pyrrhus in the second scene of Act II, he argues against the sacrifice of Polyxena to the dead Achilles and supports a merciful treatment of the defeated Trojans. His thoughts could be read in parallel with texts exploring the concept of a leader who possesses clementia (cf. Seneca’s De clementia), recall Vergil’s parcere subiectis et debellare superbos (Aen. 6.853) and engage in relevant discussions on the justice and ethics of war such as those in Cicero’s De officiis. Thus, in his arguments it is possible to reconstruct aspects of a just war theory that focuses on the ius post bellum. The decision of the gods, who do not espouse Agamemnon’s suggestion, could be interpreted according to Seneca’s broader poetic and philosophical beliefs regarding the liberating choice of death, and not as a condemnation of the view that the defeated should be treated leniently.