The Bucket List Book Adventure: Clouds by Aristophanes — Ancient Comedy and Socratic Confusion

 

Dear Henry,

Book 16 of the Bucket List Book Adventure is done! Let me tell you all about Clouds by Aristophanes.

Aristophanes, born around 450 BC, was one of ancient Greece’s greatest comedic playwrights, and the only one whose works still survive. His career began around 427 BC with Daitaleis, and though he may have written as many as forty plays, only eleven remain even partially intact.

Unlike modern narratives, Aristophanes’ plays don’t follow a single cohesive story. They’re composed of loosely connected scenes and interludes, with a lively chorus breaking in to sing, scold, or praise the performance. The rhythm and style reminded me of Saturday Night Live sketches, or perhaps Monty Python’s cheeky satire, which makes me wonder if Aristophanes might just be the original master of sketch comedy.

“But why learn things that everybody knows?”
— Aristophanes, Clouds

Clouds is Aristophanes’ most notorious surviving work. It follows Stepsiades, a weary father who finds himself bankrupt thanks to his son Pheidippides’ gambling debts. In desperation, he decides to enroll in the philosophy school next door, hoping to learn enough clever reasoning to talk his way out of his financial troubles.

At the school, he and Pheidippides study under none other than Socrates himself, though not the real philosopher, but a caricature. In this absurd version, Socrates floats in a basket, contemplates clouds, and teaches nonsense logic that can make the weaker argument appear stronger.

As the pair learn “new ways of thinking,” they begin using their logic for all the wrong reasons. Stepsiades uses his new reasoning to deny his debts and physically assault his creditor. But the tables turn when Pheidippides beats his own father after winning a debate about poetry.

The play ends in fiery chaos as Stepsiades, fed up with the madness, burns down the school, hurling rocks at students as he flees.

“Sleep is good for relaxation but terrible for speculation.”
— Aristophanes, Clouds

Clouds was intended as a satire of the Sophist philosophers, who were famous for teaching persuasive rhetoric rather than truth. Unfortunately, many Athenians didn’t get the joke. They assumed Aristophanes’ “Socrates” was a direct portrayal of the real man.

The play’s mockery contributed to a lasting misunderstanding, and it’s widely believed to have influenced public opinion leading up to Socrates’ trial and execution years later.

Ironically, Socrates himself criticized the same empty rhetoric Aristophanes lampooned. The mix-up makes Clouds one of the most consequential “comedy of errors” moments in history.

I have to admit,  this one wasn’t my brand of humor.

It’s full of bawdy jokes and bathroom gags, and while I appreciate satire, this style felt a bit like Larry the Cable Guy meets Ancient Athens. Still, the play’s historical ripple effect makes it an essential read.

Next up is Meno by Plato: the beginning of some true, hardcore philosophy. Wish me luck!

xoxo,
a.d. elliott

P.S. Check out the YouTube video here: https://youtu.be/4lFv63ydgKA

*Note* The Bucket List Book Adventure continues on Rite of Fancy — my literary corner of the Take the Back Roads journey.  Come read more reflections on philosophy, faith, and the books that shape the road.

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a.d. elliott is a wanderer, photographer, and storyteller living in Salem, Virginia. 

In addition to her travel writings at www.takethebackroads.com, you can also read her book reviews at www.riteoffancy.com and US military biographies at www.everydaypatriot.com

Her online photography gallery can be found at shop.takethebackroads.com

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