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To conclude, Seneca was more profoundly influenced by his contemporaries than Plato because it is obvious from his work (On Anger, Letters) that his experiences led to the way he thought and prompted him to develop these ideas, and attempt to live by them (stoic death).

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Socrates

Born: Alopece

Died: 399 BC, Classical Athens

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Plato  Born | 428/427 or 424/423 BC
Athens, Greece
Died | 348/347 BC (age c. 80)
Athens, Greece

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Seneca  Born | c. 4 BC
Cordoba, Hispania
Died | AD 65 (aged 68–69)
Rome

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Nero Born: 15 December 37 AD, Antium, Italy

Died: 9 June 68 AD, Rome, Italy

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On the other hand, Seneca may have not followed his own ways of living. Being Nero's adviser he was 'denouncing tyranny, he was making himself the teacher of a tyrant' ...'Thought finding fault with the rich, he himself acquired a fortune'

(Cassius Dio book 61)
Although his contemporaries helped form his ideas, he himself didn't follow them so they evidently did not have a profound influence.

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Seneca had more extreme influences (Nero) as he was in close proximity to him and his irrational behaviours and the extreme consequences of his actions. His ideas were directly linked to specific events in Nero's life and reign as emperor. Plato was more influenced by his time and his disagreements with the polis.

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contemporaries did...
-the symposium and republic were both written in a time of political turmoil and insecurity in Athens.

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Plato's contemporaries did...
-the symposium and republic were both written in a time of political turmoil and insecurity in Athens.

With the republic being
based around building the perfect society, Plato was influenced to envision this by living in a corrupt society.

didnt...
Platos contemporaries didnt actually agree with his ideas.

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contemporaries did...
-the symposium and republic were both written in a time of political turmoil and insecurity in Athens.

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In conclusion, it can be argued that Seneca was more significantly influenced by his contemporaries, specifically Nero, than Plato. This is because Seneca was in close proximity to Nero and saw directly the impact Nero's actions and desires had on society. As a whole, Seneca's ideas were directly influenced by pivotal points in Nero's life, whereas Plato was impacted by he felt about society as opposed to direct actions.

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To conclude, it is certain that Seneca's contemporaries had a larger influence of his beliefs and philosphy than Plato's, as it is easy to draw parallels between the actions of Emperor Nero and the teachings of Seneca. Furthermore he frequently mentions influences on his philosophies such as his wife Paulina

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Conclusion
It is likely that Senecas contemporaries were a bigger influence in him than Plato. Although Plato was a very influential writer the experiences that Seneca witnessed throughout his life such as the fall of Nero along with his exile and the four other emperors that he lived through appeared to have a far more profound effect on him, as the weaknesses and failings of Nero seem to be reflected more in his work compared to the writings of Plato.

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Seneca lived in a large expansive empire that had significantly different ideals and morals to the small democratic Athens which Plato had lived in 400 years earlier

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Seneca had a lot of influence from his wife Paulina as in his works about love and relationships he describes love as completely selfless and living for another, due to his wifes concern about his personal health in his old age

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Seneca tells his reader that it is bad to expect a wife to be chaste when their husbands are not, good conduct is to abstain from pleasures with the exception of child-bearing.

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PLATO Death of Socrates, oligarchic coup in Athens, Peloponnesian war and plague

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Seneca was directly involved in political tension during his lifetime particularly with Nero. Plato however didn't experience tension first hand- the Peloponnesian war and sophism ect.
Meaning Seneca was more influenced by contemporaries as he experienced their failures which helped him form his ideas. Plato founded his ideas on what he saw was wrong with the whole society rather than the individual destruction of leaders.

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A difference between Plato and Seneca is their attitudes towards homoerotic relationships, Plato believing that there was a place at the bottom rung on the journey to seeing the forms whilst Seneca having a very dim view of homosexuality as it cannot be used for the purpose of procreation.

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Plato used Socrates as a vessel for his ideas and teachings through dialogues within his plays and writings (i.e. Symposium)

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Plato -
- influence of sophists - their power of persuasion and oratory, vs. Plato's virtuous ideas
- Socrates - in most of the dialogues Socrates ends up giving the final/most definite opinion/definition according to Plato (eg. Symposium - Diotima's ladder)
Socrates in his relationship with Alcibiades, had moved past desire so Plato thought that was where the successful citizen should reach, as he thought love should move to platonic love
- Peleponnesian War - said by historians that uncontrolled desire caused the failed Sicilian expedition - Plato's view influenced by this because desire unnecessary, overthrowing reason and therefore causing expedition failure
- Corrupt society that he lived in - influenced him to create his 'perfect' society within the Republic - his ideas on balance, reason, justice - all developed from lack of these virtues in Athenian society at the time

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Seneca could be seen as a hypocrite because whilst he argued against consumerism he came from a hugely rich family and accumulated more and more wealth

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When it comes to Seneca's teachings on anger Nero proves that you should wait and think before you act as he impulsively kicked his pregnant wife to death

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Nero was a prime example of someone who succumbed to desire and was extremely immoral and not virtuous

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One of Senecas biggest influences was Nero. He lived through five emperors during his time. Nero's selfish and erratic behaviour would have been a prime demonstration of how the vices may take control of someone and lead to complete ruin. Seneca witnessed Nero's desire after leaving his first wife and marrying his second wife Poppaea who he then later killed along with their unborn child while in a fit of anger, an example that may have influenced Seneca to write on how anger is the most dangerous of emotions. Seneca would have also witnessed Nero follow his passion of wanting to become an actor, which as the emperor would have been seen as beneath him as work in the theatre was only done by the lower class.
Nero would have been a excellent example of the advice given by Seneca that one shouldn't indulge in any of their vices, no matter how insignificant they may seem at first as it is so easy for temptation to take hold and for ones actions to become more and more extreme and spiral out of control, just like what happened to Nero.

The writing of Plato on the death of Socrates and the Peloponnesian war were a likely influence on Seneca on how the vices, specifically anger could take over the rational thinking of human beings and cause vast amounts of death and destruction.

He fell in and out of favour by emperors and society as a whole. This would have tested his stoic philosophy and at the same time would have given him more time to develop his ideas, especially while in exile.

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Seneca’s contemporaries did…

-Lived through the reign of 5 emperors:
He saw how giving way to anger and desire led to the destruction of their power.

-Exiled:
Experienced falling in and out of favour with society, had time to focus on his ideas, experienced having nothing and had to learn how to be satisfied with very little.

-Accused of having an affair with Agrippina:
Led to him being criticised which influenced him as he then moved his focus onto the stoic ideal of not wasting time on those who make you angry.

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>Seneca's ideas were based off of experiences with individuals whereas Plato's were influenced by society as a whole and the downfalls he saw in his city.
>Seneca taught his ideas to Nero and as a result learnt more about human nature and the vices reflected in the Imperial family.
>Plato was heavily influenced by the teachings of Socrates.
>Nero behaved entirely in opposition to what Seneca taught, letting anger and violent desire rule him (violent murder of pregnant wife, beating young men in the streets and dumping their bodies in sewers, sadistic games) (On anger)
>Seneca fell in and out of favour with the imperial family, writing essays on morality where he was heavily influenced by stoicism. By witnessing the immorality of the family, it is clear that their behaviours influenced him to pursue a path of stoicism, however strictly he chose to follow his own teachings. (Letters on morality)
>Plato didn't like the rise of sophism as he believed it undermined the state. This influenced the Republic, a set of ideas where the state had complete control and there was no such thing as the individual. (Republic)
>Plato was influenced by the Peloponnesian war as he watched his city fall apart. He was strongly against democracy.

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Seneca's contemporaries had a more profound influence on his ideas than Plato's had on his.

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Seneca's contemporaries had a more profound influence on his ideas than Plato's had on his.

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the biggest influence on Plato was Socrates and the biggest influence on Seneca was Nero.

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Seneca - NERO
- sexual exploitation/freedom to extreme - proved to Seneca that as soon as desire/lust given into, is a downward spiral from there (Source: On the Shortness of Life)
- Nero killing second wife, mother, younger brother - all came from anger, proving to Seneca that unchecked anger instigates lack of control, lack of reason (Source: On Anger)
- Nero divorced, banished, murdered first wife to marry someone else - influenced Seneca's definition of love, no advantages, care for them etc. - proved that love based on desire
can't be beneficial because can change on what physically want -  proved by Nero's dismissal of old wife & getting new one
(Source: love definition - Letters of Morality)

> Seneca's arguments on restriction and restraint referring to vices impacted by Nero going out killing in the middle of the night, Seneca could have prevented it by just taking it away - avoid rather than let become established behaviour
> No way to dissuade Nero from any of his actions due to his absolute power and his will to do what he wanted uncontrolled