Aristophanes? "Clouds"

Paper Summary:

The paper considers "Clouds" as a critique of philosophy in the form of a comedy, revealing the tension between poetry and philosophy. The paper claims that different forms of subversion lie at the heart of the play about the relationship between Socrates and the Clouds, new and mysterious goddesses he has invented with his worship of reason to replace the old Olympian pantheon. The writer presents the explanation of Leo Strauss as to the Clouds' nature, and contrasts it with the writer's own theory that Aristophanes' purpose in writing "Clouds" was to demonstrate that Socrates' philosophizing, in its excess and amorality, is potentially destructive to society and humanity. In conclusion, the writer shows that Aristophanes is revealed as the representative of the Clouds among the Greeks.

From the Paper:

"Generally speaking, Aristophanes' Clouds represent imitation, indeterminacy and play. They are the Gods of language; they are also the language itself. Celestial signs simultaneously revealing and concealing the heavens. Demi-gods linking the human with the divine. Tricksters that teach men of the proper measure. Now the relationship between the Clouds and Aristophanes becomes clearer: the comedian poet considers himself a representative of those daimons, meaning on the one hand that he re-presents them, reveals them, introduces them and on the other, that he is the sole ambassador of the Clouds among his people."

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