Publisher's Synopsis
Clouds is a comedic play written by the ancient Greek playwright Aristophanes. The play follows the story of Strepsiades, a debt-ridden Athenian farmer who seeks the help of Socrates and his ""thinkery"" in order to learn how to argue his way out of paying his debts. However, Strepsiades' son, Pheidippides, becomes enamored with the new ideas he learns at the thinkery and begins to use his newfound knowledge to justify his own immoral behavior. This leads to a clash between the traditional values of Athens and the new ideals of the thinkery, ultimately resulting in a satirical critique of Athenian society and its intellectual elite. The play is notable for its use of parody and satire, as well as its commentary on the role of education and philosophy in society.1892. Aristophanes was a Greek comic playwright. A brilliant satirist, he used the freedom of Old Comedy to ridicule public figures, institutions, and even the gods. In Clouds, the plot of the comedy, like most of those of Aristophanes, is very simple. A man belonging to the once sound and uncorrupted core of the people, a countryman, who has suffered material and moral ruin through the evils common to the times, though not yet himself attacked by the poison of the new culture, is led by adverse circumstances to embrace it. He has been wealthy, and could have enjoyed his property in peace and quiet, but weakness and want of character have involved him in a series of misfortunes. External influence, perhaps also the desire to raise himself above his rank, has induced him to marry a noble, but mistrained girl of a proud family. See other titles by this author available from Kessinger Publishing.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.
