America in 2025 is menaced by the spirit of revenge.
Just in the last few years, retribution for the sins of the past has motivated political violence, national reckonings over race, and protracted struggles over the form and control of our government. The choice we face—between republican government and an endless blood feud—is the primary choice that defines all politics. This is the choice dramatized by Aeschylus's masterpiece, The Oresteia, a transformative work of art that can still help us understand and face our perilous moment.