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Overview
The Clouds is a comedic play written by the ancient Greek playwright Aristophanes
. It was first performed in 423 BCE and satirizes the intellectual fashions of the time, particularly the philosophical ideas of Socrates. The play follows Strepsiades, an elderly Athenian man who enrolls in a school run by Socrates in order to learn how to argue his way out of paying his debts. The play humorously explores the clash between traditional values and the emerging intellectualism of ancient Athens, offering a critique of the pursuit of knowledge divorced from practical concerns.Read the full play summary, an in-depth character analysis of Strepsiades, and explanations of important quotes from The Clouds.
