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Jean-Paul Sartre

Characters

CHARACTERS

Probably the most crucial characters are Orestes, Zeus, Electra and King Aegisthus. I will briefly describe their relationship between each other, chat are they like and how they help define and create the events that occurs in the play.

ZEUS

Zeus is the biggest opponent of Orestes. He is the king of all gods and that is exactly how he behaves. He is trying to control everything what is happening in the play and in order to achieve it he uses fear. He ensures that the humanity fears him and will follow his laws. He presents to human being the image of a supreme judge to be feared and obeyed. Zeus can easily force anyone to do anything what he wants but there is a problem. Orestes is the only person whose mind is truly free and that’s the kind of human Zeus cannot control. That’s why his primary goal is to deceive people and make sure that they will not realize they have choice to have freed minds. He supports the rule of Aeghisthus and Clytemnestra, who maintain control through fear.  

ORESTES

Orestes is a son of the King Agamemnon and Queen Clytemnestra. When he was a small child his father was killed by his mother and her lover. As an infant he was sent away from the Kingdom of Argos. He grow up without any link to his homeland until his tutor revealed him the truth about him and what he really is, the successor of the Kingdom of Argos. He is significant lies in his mental balance and peace in mind. He is trying to fulfill his void caused in youth. We can clearly say that he is looking for answers and he is committed to visit his homeland and find what he really is. The tension within this character lies in the recognition that he is free and he follows himself instead of following someone’s moral rules. He is simply the key in the drama.

ELECTRA

She is a rebellion teenager which lives in Argos together with her mother Clytemnestra and his stepfather Aeghisthus. She is also Orestes sister. She hates the so much and the only value in her live is revenge the death of his father Agamemnon. Electra waited very long for his brother who will show up and together will avenge the death of their father. Her purpose of live is revenge that’s her destiny and if her destiny is carried away she will have nothing to live for. She is just waiting for the change (arrival of her brother) or for somebody who will set her free. “Someone else will come, to set me free.” I have to point out that Electra has a lack of courage.

KING AEGISTHUS

Aegisthus is the current king of the Kingdom and he rules together with Queen Clytemnestra. When Orestes father Agamemnon was still alive Aegisthus was a lover with the Queen Clytemnestra. Afterwards they together killed Agamemnon. He is the right hand of Zeus and he imposes order on human society in the Kingdom. He came up with a great and clever play how to blind his thralls to the fact that they are free: he simply tells them that they all are responsible for the death of their king. Aeghisthus rules the city full of remorse and fear where no one will step out of the line. After some time he realizes that he became an image of Zeus and that he do not know who he is, he has destroyed himself.


"A passion for order? That is so. It was for the sake of order that I wooed Clytemnestra, for order I killed King; i wished that order should prevail, and that it should prevail through me. I have lived without love, without hope, even without lust. But I have kept order. Yes, I have kept good order in my kingdom. That has been my ruling passion." -Aegisthus

Every character in The Flies acted in accordance with their own value system. Orestes values freedom; Zeus values remorse; Electra values revenge and Aegisthus values order.

PLOT

Just briefly to keep track of the play. Orestes is trying to find what he really is. When he arrives in Argos he found his sister who is hungry of avenge. She wants to kill her mother and her stepfather which killed fifteen years ago her true father Agamemnon. Orestes realizes that this is not what he wants. Although, he knows that this is the reason why he feels the huge void in his life. Subsequently, Orestes decides that he will help her with her plan. AND THEN WHAT HAPPENS NEXT ...... ???

   

Jean-Paul Sartre

Jean-Paul Sartre was one of the biggest philosophers of the 20th century in France. He was a existentialist, philosopher, playwright, novelist, political activist and literary critics. We know for sure that he is the leading figure of the philosophy of existentialist. He had the honor getting Nobel Prize in Literature but he refused it with saying that award would forever limit and influence his freedom. He was a very interesting figure because he was a part the resistance in France against fascist Germans. In fact most of his plays reflect the spirit of the time during German occupation. He became famous after the debit of his first novel, Nausea which was published in 1938. This novel explores self existence, consciousness, and freedom. But his fully developed philosophical treaties were shown in the same year in Being and Nothingness and in his play The Flies.


Sartre’s allegory The Flies is a modern adaptation of the classic Greek myth of Orestes and Electra. In the myth he changed several points in the play to show his philosophical ideas. Since Sartre was part of the resistance his work was censored. The Greek play was used only like a cover for his anti-fascist believes. Obviously censors missed the underline themes and the message was delivered to the audience. In my blog I will try to focus on comparing the original Greek myth with the Sartre’s play. Also I will try to find passages that are anti-fascist and some interesting parts of the play. I really like the theme of the play I am really looking forward reading it. In another entry I will tell you something more about the plot of the Sartre’s allegory.


"Better to have beasts that let themselves be killed than man who run away."  -Jean-Paul Sartre