How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Act.Scene.Line). Every time a character talks counts as one line, even if what they say turns into a long monologue. We used the translation by S. Gilbert found in No Exit and Three Other Plays, published by Vintage Books in 1989.
Quote #1
ORESTES
I was born here. (1.1.3)
Notice that this is one of the first things Orestes says in The Flies. His attempt to make a connection with his homeland and his people is his primary concern in the play's first act.
Quote #2
ZEUS
Oh, that's nothing. Just a parlor trick. I'm a fly-charmer in my leisure hours. (1.1.87)
Here Zeus hits the nail on the head. In this play, he is little more than a fly-charmer. This image of the god is a far cry from the powerful and dominant master he tries to project.
Quote #3
ORESTES
This is my palace. My father's birthplace. […] I, too, was born there. […] And yet I have no memories, none whatever. I am looking at a huge, gloomy building, solemn and pretentious in the worst provincial taste. I am looking at it, but I see it for the first time. (1.1.93)
Why does this lack of childhood memories bother Orestes so much? Why, according to him, does his time with the Tutor "not count?"