Gaetano
(class)
(professor)
(date)
Taming One’s Fury: The Process of Civilization When Freud discusses the oceanic feeling, he argues that this comes about from a regression to a previous state, a result of the “primary ego-feeling” that people felt when they were infants “[persisting] to a greater or less degree” (Freud 4). This primary ego-feeling is one that has not yet managed to separate itself from the world around it, failing to differentiate between the internal and the external world. However, as the person begins to recognize that there are some aspects of the external world, they slowly draw into themselves, differentiating between the ego within them and the reality of the world outside. This is the natural human instinct, drawing …show more content…
While the Erineyes are drawn to Orestes scent by the blood of his slain mother, setting foot in Athens, a symbol of civilization and development in Greece, means that things proceed differently. While they may want to continue acting in accordance with the adult ego-feeling, Athena intervenes with twelve Athenian citizens to act as a jury for the case (Aeschylus 40). The chorus of Erineyes are furious, much like the human being might be when forced to deal with civilization and the sacrifices that come along with it, clamouring that “now are they all undone, then ancient laws” (Aeschylus 36). The jury and the idea of a trial imposes the rigours of civilization upon what would have been a chaotic battle between Orestes and the Erineyes. Following on from this, the way in which this trial proceeds reaffirms Freud’s assertions that civilization is a process of Eros and ultimately frustrates the natural human tendency to act in a way that maximizes their happiness and minimizes their own suffering. Despite the fact that Orestes has committed matricide, half of the jury’s members, including Athena, vote for Orestes’ cause (Aeschylus 52). As a result, Orestes is freed from guilt for his actions, curtailing any form of punishment that the Erineyes might be able to impart upon him. This is a heavy sacrifice that the Erineyes have to endure, unable to act in …show more content…
Members of civilization succumb to taboos and laws that prevent them from exercising an adult ego-feeling focuses on maximizing their own happiness. Instead, through the process of love, individuals are expected to accept more and more of reality, as they accept partners, families, races, and entire peoples as part of their own ego. This mirrors a regression into a more child-like ego-feeling, predating the ability to distinguish between the internal and the external. This tension between an individual’s tendency to separate themselves from reality and civilization’s onus on its members to accept reality creates discontent in people. This exact process is mirrored in Aeschylus’ Euminedes, symbolically represented in the Erineyes and their transition into Euminedes. At first, the Erineyes act in their own interests, seeking out vengeance and the blood of Orestes. However, once they enter into civilization, represented by Athena and the city of Athens, they are forced to make concessions and accept the verdict of the jury, even if it goes against their own
(class)
(professor)
(date)
Taming One’s Fury: The Process of Civilization When Freud discusses the oceanic feeling, he argues that this comes about from a regression to a previous state, a result of the “primary ego-feeling” that people felt when they were infants “[persisting] to a greater or less degree” (Freud 4). This primary ego-feeling is one that has not yet managed to separate itself from the world around it, failing to differentiate between the internal and the external world. However, as the person begins to recognize that there are some aspects of the external world, they slowly draw into themselves, differentiating between the ego within them and the reality of the world outside. This is the natural human instinct, drawing …show more content…
While the Erineyes are drawn to Orestes scent by the blood of his slain mother, setting foot in Athens, a symbol of civilization and development in Greece, means that things proceed differently. While they may want to continue acting in accordance with the adult ego-feeling, Athena intervenes with twelve Athenian citizens to act as a jury for the case (Aeschylus 40). The chorus of Erineyes are furious, much like the human being might be when forced to deal with civilization and the sacrifices that come along with it, clamouring that “now are they all undone, then ancient laws” (Aeschylus 36). The jury and the idea of a trial imposes the rigours of civilization upon what would have been a chaotic battle between Orestes and the Erineyes. Following on from this, the way in which this trial proceeds reaffirms Freud’s assertions that civilization is a process of Eros and ultimately frustrates the natural human tendency to act in a way that maximizes their happiness and minimizes their own suffering. Despite the fact that Orestes has committed matricide, half of the jury’s members, including Athena, vote for Orestes’ cause (Aeschylus 52). As a result, Orestes is freed from guilt for his actions, curtailing any form of punishment that the Erineyes might be able to impart upon him. This is a heavy sacrifice that the Erineyes have to endure, unable to act in …show more content…
Members of civilization succumb to taboos and laws that prevent them from exercising an adult ego-feeling focuses on maximizing their own happiness. Instead, through the process of love, individuals are expected to accept more and more of reality, as they accept partners, families, races, and entire peoples as part of their own ego. This mirrors a regression into a more child-like ego-feeling, predating the ability to distinguish between the internal and the external. This tension between an individual’s tendency to separate themselves from reality and civilization’s onus on its members to accept reality creates discontent in people. This exact process is mirrored in Aeschylus’ Euminedes, symbolically represented in the Erineyes and their transition into Euminedes. At first, the Erineyes act in their own interests, seeking out vengeance and the blood of Orestes. However, once they enter into civilization, represented by Athena and the city of Athens, they are forced to make concessions and accept the verdict of the jury, even if it goes against their own