Functional Order: Ni/Te/Fi/Se
Dominant Function: Ni
Hypatia is always questioning the universe, philosophizing without a “purpose” or “end destination” in mind, ruminating over the same questions, encouraging independence of thought and the sharing of fresh ideas, and is fixated on “why” is this happening. Orestes does not understand how she can keep questioning the same things over and over; in his mind, they work so why does she need to think about them, but she lives to dwell in her thoughts, to come up with thought experiments, and to theorize by going back to old ideas. Often, she will say that something is significant but she is not yet sure “why.” It’s just a piece of a larger puzzle. She is a mathematician, philosopher, and obsessed with the cosmos and attempting to figure out why the stars move as they do, and whether the sun is at the center of the universe. Having the answers would not change how people lived their lives, but it would make her happy. She needs to know why.
Auxiliary Function: Te
Her thinking is highly abstract and outward; she is indiscriminate in adopting ideas, provided they make sense, and refuses to convert to Christianity because it’s not rational or who she is, rather than go along with it for her own personal safety. She has no conversation that does not revolve around what could be, or what the heavens represent, or the center of gravity, or wondering why things fall in certain ways. She is delighted when her own theories get proven wrong, because it allows her to think about even more things! But she is also attached to sentiment and the memory of her father. She risks her life to try and rescue “important texts” before people burn the Library of Alexandra. She values some of the old, discredited theories when considering the cosmos, as she tries to breathe new life into them. This shows how she respects externally proven theories and facts and uses them to buildt her own theories upon them, rather than solely relying on her own logical deductions like a Ti dominant would.
Tertiary Function: Fi
She comes across as warm, generous, and good-hearted, but not particularly socially aware. She tries to gently rebuff a man’s attentions and when that fails, she humiliates him by handing him a handkerchief with her period blood on it, so that no one will ever propose to her again. She becomes testy and impatient with her slave under pressure, rejecting him and causing him to turn against her. She doesn’t see the point of a false religious conversion to appease the local authorities, and this lack of an ability to adapt to a changing world brings about her unfortunate martyrdom. Instead she always tries to stay true to herself and her own values, even if it is against the moral authorities and conventions of her time.
Inferior Function: Se
Hypatia is philosophically inclined and intuitive and not as much focused on the here and now. She tries to stay away from the ideological and religious battles of her time, but later becomes untangled in them. Hypatia is stressed by the fighting and chaos going on around her, preferring her library and teaching halls to a more adventurous lifestyle, which is also why she rejects Orestes when he proposes to her. Hypatia can use Se well under stress, like when quickly aiding her father to help after he had been hurt and taking the most practical steps to secure his well being. She also knows the value of physicality and touch, which is why she is so fascinated by Davus model of the stars in the beginning, as it makes a theoretical construct more physically tangible.
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