How we cite our quotes: (Line)
Quote #7
(Orestes): "And when I came back home myself, an exile for the time before, I killed the mother who bore me. I shall not deny it, in retribution for the killing of my dearest father. For this, Loxias shares a common responsibility, for he warned me of pains to pierce my heart like goads if I should take none of this action against the guilty ones. But whether I acted justly or not, it is you who must decide the case; for however I come out of it, I shall accept your decision." (462-469)
Here, Orestes says that he isn't responsible for killing his mother because Apollo threatened him with a ton of bad things if he didn't do it. Is this the same as saying that Orestes acted without free will? In any case, does the question of free will versus fate have anything to do with whether an action is just or not?
Quote #8
(Apollo): "I have come both to give evidence—for this man is legally a suppliant and refugee at my hearth, and I am his purifier from bloodshed—and to support his case myself. I am responsible for the killing of his mother." (576-580)
Now, typically, Apollo, if you take responsibility for somebody killing somebody else, that means that you have to suffer some punishment as a result. But that doesn't seem to be happening in this case. In the next quotation, Apollo says that he only prophesies what Zeus tells him to. Does that mean that Apollo thinks that neither he nor Orestes was acting with free will, and that they're both off the hook?
Quote #9
(Apollo) (to the jurors): "I shall say to you, who are here by Athena's great ordinance, that [the blood of Clytemnestra] was shed justly; and as prophet I shall not lie. I never yet said at my prophetic throne, not about man, not about woman, not about city, except what Zeus the Olympian Father might command. I tell you plainly: understand how strong this just plea is, and heed the Father's will; an oath is in no way stronger than Zeus." (614-621)
Here we see how adept Apollo is at passing the buck. It looks like he's saying that he can't be blamed because he just carries out Zeus's will, and since Zeus is the king of the gods, that's pretty much like saying he doesn't have any free will, right?
Well, not exactly: notice that Apollo says that he prophesies the sorts of things that Zeus "might" command. So… is Apollo really just sitting around scratching his head, trying to figure out what Zeus might say?