Passion in Hippolytus

It is precisely these frustrations of sexual life whichthis civilization. However, a man cannot stop wishing
people known as neurotics cannot tolerate. Thesatisfaction, which he receives from the act of
neurotic creates substitutive satisfactions for himselfaggression. He simply, 'does not feel comfortable
in his symptoms, and these either cause him sufferingwithout it'' (Freud 69-72). Thus, the society tries to
in themselves or become sources of suffering forlimit our aggressive instincts and civilization imposes
him by raising difficulties in his relations with hisgreat sacrifices not only on man's sexuality but on his
environment and the society he belongs to. Theaggressivity. Consequently, a man cannot be happy in
latter fact is easy to understand; the formera society that imposes restrictions on a person's
presents us with a new problem. But civilizationbehavior. Sigmund Freud stresses that primitive men
demands other sacrifices besides that of sexualwere happy as they knew no restrictions of instinct.
satisfaction. Another sacrifice besides that of sexualPhaedre fell in love with Hippolytus and her love
satisfaction is death. Phaedre suffers too much andbecame a destructive instinct, which transformed into
she can bear this pain no longer:aggressiviness. Undoubtedly, there is a connection
There is a limit to all suffering and I have reached it. /between aggression and Eros. This connection
I am the unhappiest of women. (265)becomes visible when Phaedre's love transforms into
Man is aggressive by his nature. A man's aggression isrevenge towards her love-object and three stages -
his original instinctual disposition (Freud 81). Phaedreoutcomes of the feeling and the reaction of
from 'Hippolytus' is an example of aggressiveHippolytus towards this feeling - are connected and
behavior. She does not receive what she wants andare put into a chain. As Sigmund Freud points out,
her aggressiveness awakens. Her aggressiveness was'love strives after objects, and its chief function,
waiting for some provocation. Phaedre's passion isfavored in every way by nature, is the preservation
stronger than reasonable interests. Thus, civilizationof the species. Consequently, ego-instincts and
attempts to set limits to aggressive behavior withinobject-instincts confronted each other' (76).