In his first lecture at Ralston College, Spencer Klavan offers a reading of Aeschylus’ Oresteia that seeks to make sense of the American political landscape.
Within the deep moral architecture of the ancient world, retribution is challenged by reason. In Aeschylus’ trilogy, blood guilt brings about grave obligations. In this world, violence demands violence, family members inherit debts, and revenge is non-negotiable. The Furies give voice to this dynamic, embodying a moral order that links the living to the dead and recollection to retribution.
Contrary to this convention, the Olympian gods introduce a principle that liberates individuals from the wounds of their lineage. Moral agency emerges alongside an increasingly careful and deliberate evaluation of one’s character. This awakening of individuality, however, does not resolve the crisis. Instead, competing loyalties collide, exceptions to the rule strain the rule itself, and justice itself falters under the weight.
Resolution is brought about by Athena and the city that bears her name. Deliberative justice creates a forum in which opposing claims can be weighed without the need for more bloodshed. The Furies are transformed by gathering their energies into a shared civic structure that has the power to end feuds. Vengeance and wrath are transmuted into law that enable the city to live with its past rather than being ruled by it. Klavan reminds us that scapegoating increases when deliberation is foregone, leaving us prone to ritual violence. Ballots offer rational judgement where blood-guilt would choose violence.
