The Flies

After fifteen years in exile, Orestes returns to his hometown of Argos to discover that his mother (Clytemnestra) and her lover (Aegisthus) have murdered his father, King Agamemnon. The usurpers of the throne keep the people in bondage and misery through fear, and Orestes’ sister Electra has been turned into a servant. What happens next?

Using ancient mythological material as a foundation, Sartre skillfully draws our attention to themes that are important to the well-being of both the individual and society.

The Theme of Freedom

First and foremost is the theme of freedom. Sartre argues that “man is condemned to be free.” No one has power over us unless we choose to grant it to them. Freedom is a gift, but also a burden — it is responsibility.

The Theme of Choice

Because existentialists believe in radical personal freedom, everything is a matter of choice. We choose our values, we choose our identity, and even choose whether to be alive or not. By creating and continually recreating ourselves, human beings must choose a set of values through action. It is important to note that action, not thoughts, beliefs, or aspirations, constitutes this choice.

By choosing a particular value — honesty, freedom, remorse, and so on — we create it. For Sartre, avoiding choice means fleeing from personal freedom or engaging in self-deception.

The Theme of Guilt

Guilt is imposed by the rulers of the kingdom — Aegisthus and Jupiter. They use remorse as a tool to oppress their subjects. While the population is busy repenting and regretting, it is kept away from its personal freedom.

The people of Argos have forgotten that it is up to them to choose a system of values and decide what is right and what is wrong. Instead of choosing for themselves, they allow an external force to impose a system of morals on them.

The Main Message

"The Flies" — like the central idea of existentialism — aims to convey to people that the power of kings and gods rests solely on the fact that people do not know they are, in truth, free. Free to make their own decisions, to follow their own path, instead of blaming some authority for everything and thereby shifting responsibility.

This is much more than a play — Sartre calls for resistance.