"We Fortunate Souls": Timely Death and Philosophical Therapy in Seneca's Consolation to Marcia

Abstract:This article reexamines the function of the topos opportunitas mortis ("the timeliness of death") in Seneca's Consolation to Marcia. I argue that Seneca does not use this consolatory topos in a purely conventional way, but rather in order to advance a complex and philosophically dynamic persuasive strategy. In particular, close attention to the recurrence of the topos in the final part of the work allows us to follow Seneca's manipulation of both Epicurean and Stoic philosophical principles for the purpose of consoling Marcia. The use of principles from both schools reveals Seneca's pedagogically sensitive approach to philosophical therapy in the Consolation.