Greek Comedy VII: Aristophanes’s Clouds, or Socrates is a Joke

Posted byTriumvir ClioPosted inGreek Comedy, The Greeks

According to Ian Storey, this is the most famous of Aristophanes’s plays. It’s not the first one I think of, but it does translate pretty well to today.

Discussion Prompts
  1. When you think of Aristophanes, what’s the first play you think of?  Why?
  2. What do you think about the conflict between science and religion in this play?
  3. We aren’t sure if this rewrite was finished.  What do you think?  Does it feel finished to you?  Why or why not?
  4. Are the clouds really gods or just gods to Strepsiades?  Why?
  5. And I got this prompt from SparkNotes, but I’d love to hear your thoughts:  Regarding Strepsiades, is he a hero? A tragic hero? An anti- hero? A tragic anti-hero?

Published by Triumvir Clio

I have a BA in History and Classical Civilization from Loyola University Chicago and an MPH from Western Michigan University. I've been a geometry teacher, a religion teacher, a writing tutor. I'm a writer, a knitter, a dancer, a singer, an actor. And, yes, for fun I like to reread everything that was assigned while getting my classics degree.

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