Thyestes now enters the scene, walking toward the trap we know is waiting. Seneca portrays him as a virtuous Stoic, disgusted by the world he long ago renounced: How good it is to be in no one’s way, to eat safe meals stretched out on open ground. Hovels don’t house crimes; a narrow table holds a wholesome feast; it’s the gold cup that’s poisoned—I’ve seen, I know. It is as if Seneca has turned back the clock on his own life and given Thyestes the same choice he faced on Corsica, but also given him knowledge of what
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