Evaluate the accuracy of “The Clouds” in portraying the political, social, economic and religious life of people in the fifth century BC Athens

Greek theatre has always been a significant gene in the past and present Athenian society. Fifth Century BC Athenian society proposed numerous playwrights in their festivities honouring the god, Dionysus. Amongst the many crowd favourites was a legend to describe him in the least, Aristophanes. His works of satirical comedy atomic number 18 shut up celebrated and enjoyed today. mavin such(prenominal) example of his famous satirical works is The Clouds, written in 423BC. The Clouds is about a father, Strepsiades, who is in debt beca delectation of his sons high-ticket(prenominal) horse following.Strepsiades tries to convince his son, Pheidippides, to attend the Thinkery (a school for sophistry), to learn the artistic creation of retroflex talk in the hope of outwitting his creditors in court. However, Pheidippides denies his fathers request, so instead Strepsiades decides to scratch himself. Strepsiades attempts to learn sophistry plainly fails miserably when his old age get s the topper of him. other attempt to encourage his son to enrol becomes successful and Pheidippides learns to double-talk from the teacher Socrates. This is later regretted when, at the climax of the story, Pheidippides uses double-talk to justify him beating his father.Strepsiades, out of pettishness and rage, then sets fire to the Thinkery. The main theme dealt with in the The Clouds is that of new versus old. Aristophanes challenges the basis thinkers want sophists and the imaginative thinkers kindred Socrates for oppressing the conventional values held and demoralising the youth. Another theme pertaining to the clouds is the confliction of religion and science. In fifth century BC, around the clock prison term when Aristophanes wrote the clouds, the commotion of scientific theory had just begun.With religion prevailing at the time, such atheistic thinking brought about by people like Socrates was firstly unlawful and secondly prvirtuoso to ridicule by fusty figures suc h as Aristophanes. The Clouds is rather accurate in depicting Athenian life. However the perception of Socrates evident in the text is not couple to that of Socrates in real life. Aristophanes, like many, linked Socrates with the rest of the Sophists for the reason that he was a philosophical thinker, that is, he came up with reasoning without relying on faith. However, Socrates, like Aristophanes rejected the ideas of the Sophists.The sophists argued that guiding principles of a society, such as justice and truth, wide-ranging according to the needs of men in a particular time and place. In teaching their students, the sophists emphasised the art of argumentative discussion and came to be associated with deceptive and hollow reasoning. This is depicted in the clouds where better argument represents handed-down thinking and the worse argument depicts that of the sophists. Despite Aristophanes rather critical personation of Socrates, the description of him as expressed through Ph eidippides as pale-faced charlatans, who havent any clothe is actually relatively true.Since Socrates wore simple apparel, and walked barefoot through the streets, his ideas and peculiarity do him an easy subject of derision and he was often thought of as a fraudulent figure. Socrates was also ridiculed for the fact he trustd in one goodish being as the creator of the universe. This went against the religious life of the Athenians. In The Clouds, Poseidon, god of horses is sworn on by Pheidippides and later again by Pasias (one of Strepsiades creditors) who also swears by Hermes and Zeus. These accounts are an accurate reflection the religious beliefs upheld by Athenian society.However, since the clouds is a satirical play, Aristophanes pokes fun at Socrates who is depicted to believe in the vortex as the ruler, not Zeus. This part of the play is not accurate, as it does not hold a factual purpose but rather that of entertainment and humour. Rather than just analysing The Cloud s on its plot, a more than comprehensive read of the text reveals further details on fifth century Athenian life, all of which are precise in information. For instance, it is probable in the text that concepts such as creditors, debtors and interest, were already in use at the time.This shows that Athenian society had in place forms of financing that still exist today. Also, there is a clear depiction of the judicial scheme present at the time. It is evident in the text that when taking a person to court a deposit must be make and if the case was lost the deposit was forfeited. Other instances in which The Clouds has effectively visualized Athenian life is through their currency, such as drachmas and obols and also in their legal system, when the Better Argument makes reference to the punishment of adultery, this being having a radish shoved up his anus and his pubic hair singed with hot ash.The people of the fifth century BC Athenian society were rather wealthy and could pay s laves. The polarisation of the two classes of people within society is portrayed rather well. This is evident with Strepsiades servant Xanthias who lives an unpleasant life when compared to Pheidippides who indulges in the costly hobby of buying racehorses. This is further exemplified when Pheidippides mother insists to add -hippos (meaning horse) to Pheidippides name at family so he could have the marks of the aristocratic classes. In conclusion, The Clouds is a satirical play and should not be taken for face value.However, his limning of issues and figures within the society give an accurate insight into some of the beliefs held by the general public and if treated carefully could be considered as bona fide historical source. A serious theme underlies this comedy, namely Ideas espoused by home thinkers like the sophists and by highly imaginative thinkers like Socrates are undermining traditional values and corrupting the morals of youths. The sophists maintained that the guidi ng principles of a society, such as justice and truth, were relative concepts-that is, these principles changed according to the needs of men in a particular time and place.What was right and just in capital of Greece was not necessarily right and just in another society. One mans virtue could be another mans vice. In teaching their students, the sophists emphasized the art of argumentative discourse and came to be associated with deceptive and specious reasoning, lampooned effectively in The Clouds. Another target of Aristophanes was Socrates, along with his associate, Chaerephon. Ironically, Socrates, like Aristophanes, renounced the methods and ideas of the sophists.Nevertheless, Socrates angered the establishment (1) by declaring that the validity of many long-standing precepts could not be proved by uniform reasoning, (2) by rejecting the Olympian gods and sometimes speaking of a single intelligent being as the creator of the universe, and (3) by spreading dangerous ideas amon g new people. In addition, he alienated many Athenians because he was ugly and littered (sometimes neglecting to bathe for a long while), wore simple apparel, and walked barefoot through the streets. Thus, his ideas and eccentricities do him a ripe subject for ridicule.