The Clouds by Aristophanes

Strepsiades is an older man from a rural background who “married up” to a woman with higher class notions.  Together they had a son (Pheidippides) who is more interested in horses and racing than in working the farm.  Strepsiades has gotten himself into significant debt which he blames on his son’s spending habits.  He would like his son to be gainfully employed, but it doesn’t appear that is going to happen.  So, instead of his son going to school with Socrates, he goes himself.  His intent is to learn how to use speech to talk his way out of his legitimate debts.  He tells Socrates “a galloping consumption seized my money.  Come now; do let me learn the unjust Logic that can shirk debts.”

Socrates is presented as a double-talking charlatan.   Through the use of twisted logic and changing the subject, he convinces Strepsiades of the error of a number of beliefs commonly held.  Among these is the notion that there are gods.  Specifically, he says that Zeus doesn’t exist, and that it is actually the Clouds which control man’s destiny.  When Strepsiades inquires as to how the clouds cause thunder, Socrates’ answer is to liken it to the rumblings of ones stomach after consuming something that doesn’t agree with him.  He makes reference to flatulence as the explanation for multiple things.  (i.e. he uses bathroom humor)

Socrates eventually pronounces Strepsiades too stupid to learn, and Strepsiades convinces his son to enter the school.  At this point, “Right Logic” and “Wrong Logic” enter in to a debate in front of Pheidippides.  Right Logic advocates the “old ways” of truth and justice and manly behavior.  Wrong Logic pokes fun at this and advocates dishonesty and promiscuity.  Wrong Logic ends up winning the argument and so Pheidippides accepts it.

The problem with this is that it backfires on Strepsiades.  Pheidippides starts beating him because Wrong Logic once employed makes it perfectly acceptable for a son to beat his father and his mother. 

Strepsiades then sets the house of Socrates on fire.  Socrates yells that he is suffocating.  Strepsiades again claims to believe in the gods.  The Clouds, for their part, are pleased with the outcome saying, “We find a man on evil thoughts intent, and guide him along to shame and wrong, then leave him to repent.”

I wonder how his contemporaries reacted to Aristophanes’ plays.  I suspect they found them wickedly funny, although from my perspective he makes quite a bit of humor from bodily functions.

                e.g.  Strepsiades trying to convince Pheidippides how carefully he tended him as a child:  “And you could hardly say “cacca!” when through the door I flew and held you out a full arms’ length, your little needs to do.”

The play drips with sarcasm and irony, and Aristophanes clearly didn’t think much of philosophers in general and Socrates in particular.