Hatred and civilization in the oresteia

There is no greater form of estrangement than hatred, and the stigma of hatred pervades our polarized political culture. Along with such a political stigma is a tendency to assume that violent passion is an obstacle to the attainment of wisdom. However, Aeschylus's Oresteia ought to remind us that hatred is neither a mere pathology belonging to our enemies, nor an anti-democratic sentiment. On the contrary, Aeschylus's great play reminds us that hatred may be an indispensible part of wisdom, as well as a tragic necessity of the democratic project.