THE TRAGIC IN EPICTETUS: A REFLECTION ON THE PHILOSOPHICAL IMAGE

Abstract

In Encheiridion XVII, Epictetus compares the human being to an actor in a theatrical play. By examining several passages in which the theater appears in Epictetus’ work, we reflect on the constant presence of theatrical imagery in the lives of upper-class Romans, as well as on what we might call a convergence of disciplines and a blending of genres that we assume to be part of this mentality. We propose a device in the style of “Prospero’s books,” as can be seen in Seneca’s tragedies.