Passion in Hippolytus

The latter fact is easy to understand; the former presents us with a new problem. But civilization demands other sacrifices besides that of sexual satisfaction. Another sacrifice besides that of sexual satisfaction is death. Phaedre suffers too much and she can bear this pain no longer:

There is a limit to all suffering and I have reached it. / I am the unhappiest of women. (265)

Man is aggressive by his nature. A man’s aggression is his original instinctual disposition (Freud 81). Phaedre from ‘Hippolytus’ is an example of aggressive behavior. She does not receive what she wants and her aggressiveness awakens. Her aggressiveness was waiting for some provocation. Phaedre’s passion is stronger than reasonable interests. Thus, civilization attempts to set limits to aggressive behavior within this civilization. However, a man cannot stop wishing satisfaction, which he receives from the act of aggression. He simply, ‘does not feel comfortable without it’’ (Freud 69-72). Thus, the society tries to limit our aggressive instincts and civilization imposes great sacrifices not only on man’s sexuality but on his aggressivity. Consequently, a man cannot be happy in a society that imposes restrictions on a person’s behavior. Sigmund Freud stresses that primitive men were happy as they knew no restrictions of instinct.

Phaedre fell in love with Hippolytus and her love became a destructive instinct, which transformed into aggressiviness. Undoubtedly, there is a connection between aggression and Eros. This connection becomes visible when Phaedre’s love transforms into revenge towards her love-object and three stages – outcomes of the feeling and the reaction of Hippolytus towards this feeling - are connected and are put into a chain. As Sigmund Freud points out, ‘love strives after objects, and its chief function, favored in every way by nature, is the preservation of the species. Consequently, ego-instincts and object-instincts confronted each other’ (76).