As compared to the original Oresteia where his crimes are forgiven, Orestes’ actions in the play are not forgiven because for something to be forgiven, it must mean that there is something wrong that has happened, and this “something wrong” is wrong because it does not go with the …show more content…
In the case of Orestes in The Flies, Sartre emphasizes that Orestes stands by his actions of murder. He does not think that his actions are wrong because he believes that what he did is correct despite the attempt of the Argives to murder him in the latter portion of the play. He believes that by murdering the king and queen, he has given the Argives a brighter future; by eliminating the one who is blinding the Argives, he thinks that he has given them freedom. He did not allow the norms of the society to hinder him from acting the way he did which is why he is the only one in the play who is truly free. Sartre wants to point out that a one can only find meaning in his/her life if he/she seizes his/her own life with his/her own hands. In the play, Orestes embodies Sartre’s existentialist philosophy as he was the only one to take responsibility of his actions as compared to the Argives who are guilty of their actions; being guilty of a certain action also entails