History Theatre / TheClouds

* TakeThat: An example lost to time; Strepsiades argues that Zeus throw lightning to smite evil-doers, but Socrates retorts that if he did so Simon, Cleonymus and Theorus wouldn't be alive anymore. That'd be pretty funny, if they hadn't died two thousand years before you read it in a town you probably never lived in.

* BiggerIsBetterInBed: {{Inverted|Trope}}. According to the play, if you're a good man, your penis will be nice and small.

** ValuesDissonance: The Greek male beauty/virility standard didn't feature a large penis; such a thing was seen as coarse and ridiculous. This is because they viewed prepubescent boys as the ideal.

* [[ScienceIsWrong Philosophy Is Wrong]]: It's up to debate whether ''The Clouds'' is a diatribe against philosophy in general, or only against its excesses, but it certainly contains a very scathing portrayal of philosophical wisdom.

* TakeThatAudience: In a fourth-wall-breaking moment.[[note]]While it differs by translation, basically, the right argument suggests clean living is important because otherwise people might think you are gay. The strong argument then retorts that the audience don't seem to mind people thinking they're gay.[[/note]]

* VolleyingInsults

* DisproportionateRetribution: [[spoiler:When the philosophers fail to teach his son properly, Strepsiades sees fit to burn down the Thinkery.]]

** Debatable: Socrates was accused of worshiping new Gods and being a sophist in his trial, while this play shows him doing exactly that. It's hard for people nowadays to say whether the play was meant to be ridiculous or if there was some indirect accusations in it that Aristophanes didn't want to bring to court. At very least, it's HarsherInHindsight but it might also be a massive TakeThat that led to some younger people taking Socrates to court themselves.

* TakeThatAudience: In a fourth-wall-breaking moment.

{{Aristophanes}}' Ancient Greek comedy, originally written in 423 BCE and revised some years later, was originally written for Dionysia, a festival honoring [[Myth/ClassicalMythology Dionysus, the god of wine and partying]]. It shows, no thanks to the humor, which is crude and at times [[ToiletHumor scatological]]. It treats the viewers like morons, making a complete fool out of Creator/{{Socrates}} (who, although he is a MagnificentBastard, was certainly not an idiot) and making fun of his profession. Perhaps that's why it was voted last out of three plays which were performed at the Dionysia that year. Nevertheless it's still performed; it's the oldest of Aristophanes' works that anybody who isn't a specialist has heard of, and so is quite possibly the oldest comedy still staged with any regularity.

* SolarPoweredMagnifyingGlass: The gods used a set of lens to ignite the Olympic torch.

{{Aristophanes}}' Ancient Greek comedy, originally written in 423 BCE and revised some years later, was originally written for Dionysia, a festival honoring [[Myth/ClassicalMythology Dionysus, the god of wine and partying]]. It shows, no thanks to the humor, which is crude and at times [[ToiletHumor scatological]]. It treats the [[ViewersAreMorons viewers like morons]], making a complete fool out of Creator/{{Socrates}} (who, although he is a MagnificentBastard, was certainly not an idiot) and making fun of his profession. Perhaps that's why it was voted last out of three plays which were performed at the Dionysia that year. Nevertheless it's still performed; it's the oldest of Aristophanes' works that anybody who isn't a specialist has heard of, and so is quite possibly the oldest comedy still staged with any regularity.

* Creator/{{Socrates}}: As previously mentioned, Socrates-much like his contemporary Chaerophon would be if, y'know, he actually spoke in the play-is completely out of character (if Creator/{{Plato}}'s dialogues are to be believed). He stays inside the Thinkery all day, flitters about pondering scientific mysteries such as "How far can a flea jump?" and teaches young Greeks rhetoric, which-in RealLife, at least-was left to the sophists.

{{Aristophanes}}' Ancient Greek comedy, originally written in 423 BCE and revised some years later, was originally written for Dionysia, a festival honoring [[ClassicalMythology Dionysus, the god of wine and partying]]. It shows, no thanks to the humor, which is crude and at times [[ToiletHumor scatological]]. It treats the [[ViewersAreMorons viewers like morons]], making a complete fool out of Creator/{{Socrates}} (who, although he is a MagnificentBastard, was certainly not an idiot) and making fun of his profession. Perhaps that's why it was voted last out of three plays which were performed at the Dionysia that year. Nevertheless it's still performed; it's the oldest of Aristophanes' works that anybody who isn't a specialist has heard of, and so is quite possibly the oldest comedy still staged with any regularity.

** Debatable: Socrates was accused of worshipping new Gods and being a sophist in his trial, while this play shows him doing exactly that. It's hard for people now adays to say whether the play was meant to be ridiculous or if there was some indirect accusations in it that Aristophanes didn't want to bring to court. At very least, it's HarsherInHindsight but it might also be a massive TakeThat that lead to some younger people taking Socrates to court themselves.

** ValuesDissonance: The Greek male beauty/virility standard didn't feature a large penis; such a thing was seen as coarse and ridiculous.
* DisproportionateRetribution: [[spoiler:When the philosophers fail to teach his son properly, Strepsiades sees fit to burn down the Thinkery]]

* Creator/{{Socrates}}: As previously mentioned, Socrates -- much like his contemporary Chaerophon would be if, y'know, he actually spoke in the play -- is completely out of character (if Creator/{{Plato}}'s dialogues are to be believed). He stays inside the Thinkery all day; flitters about pondering scientific mysteries such as "How far can a flea jump?"; and teaches young Greeks rhetoric, which -- in RealLife, at least -- was left to the sophists.

* GoodAngelBadAngel: the roles of Good and Bad Angel are played by a personified Right and Wrong arguments, who try to persuade the protagonist's son Pheidippides either to avoid or to enter into Creator/{{Socrates}}'s sophistical "Thinkery," making this trope ''[[OlderThanFeudalism palaioteros apo to chôma]]''.
* MetaphoricallyTrue: Socrates' teaching are based on relativity of everything and bending word meanings to suit one's will.

{{Aristophanes}}' Ancient Greek comedy, originally written in 423 BCE and revised some years later, was originally written for Dionysia, a festival honoring [[ClassicalMythology Dionysus, the god of wine and partying]]. It shows, no thanks to the humor, which is crude and at times [[ToiletHumor scatological]]. It treats the [[ViewersAreMorons viewers like morons]], making a complete fool out of Creator/{{Socrates}} (who, although he is a MagnificentBastard, was certainly not an idiot) and making fun of his profession. Perhaps that's why it was voted last out of three plays which were performed at the Dionysia that year.

* BiggerIsBetterInBed: [[InvertedTrope Inverted.]] According to the play, if you're a good man, your penis will be nice and small.

* FromACertainPointOfView: Socrates' teaching are based on relativity of everything and bending word meanings to suit one's will.

* GoodAngelBadAngel: the roles of Good and Bad Angel are played by a personified Right and Wrong arguments, who try to persuade the protagonist's son Pheidippides either to avoid or to enter into {{Socrates}}'s sophistical "Thinkery," making this trope ''[[OlderThanFeudalism palaioteros apo to chôma]]''.

{{Aristophanes}}' Ancient Greek comedy, originally written in 423 BCE and revised some years later, was originally written for Dionysia, a festival honoring [[ClassicalMythology Dionysus, the god of wine and partying]]. It shows, no thanks to the humor, which is crude and at times [[ToiletHumor scatological]]. It treats the [[ViewersAreMorons viewers like morons]], making a complete fool out of {{Socrates}} (who, although he is a MagnificentBastard, was certainly not an idiot) and making fun of his profession. Perhaps that's why it was voted last out of three plays which were performed at the Dionysia that year.

* {{Socrates}}: As previously mentioned, Socrates -- much like his contemporary Chaerophon would be if, y'know, he actually spoke in the play -- is completely out of character (if {{Plato}}'s dialogues are to be believed). He stays inside the Thinkery all day; flitters about pondering scientific mysteries such as "How far can a flea jump?"; and teaches young Greeks rhetoric, which -- in RealLife, at least -- was left to the sophists.

* {{Socrates}}: As previously mentioned, Socrates -- much like his contemporary Chaerophon would be if, y'know, he actually spoke in the play -- is completely out of character (if {{Plato}}'s dialogues are to be believed). He stays inside the Thinkery all day; flitters about pondering scientific mysteries such as "How far can a flea jump?"; and teaches young Greeks rhetoric, which -- in RealLife, at least -- was left to the sophists.
** It is, however, perfectly possible that Aristophanes was aware of who Socrates really was but made him a rhetorician simply to pander to the audience, many of whom thought Socrates was a sophist. Also, it could be a case of CompositeCharacter (historical Socrates conflated with a stereotypical image of a sophist).

* {{Disproportionate Retribution}}: [[spoiler:When the philosophers fail to teach his son properly, Strepsiades sees fit to burn down the Thinkery]]

* {{Socrates}}: As previously mentioned, Socrates -- much like his contemporary Chaerophon would be if, y'know, he actually spoke in the play -- is completely out of character (if {{Plato}}'s dialogues are to be believed). He stays inside the Thinkery all day; flitters about pondering scientific mysteries such as "How far can a flea jump?"; and teaches young Greeks rhetoric, which -- in {{Real Life}}, at least -- was left to the sophists.
** This may also count as a case of {{Did Not Do the Research}}. It is, however, perfectly possible that Aristophanes was aware of who Socrates really was but made him a rhetorician simply to pander to the audience, many of whom thought Socrates was a sophist. Also, it could be a case of CompositeCharacter (historical Socrates conflated with a stereotypical image of a sophist).

* {{Disproportionate Retribution}}: [[spoiler:When the philosophers fail to teach his son properly, Strepsiades sees fit to burn down the Thinkery]].
* GoodAngelBadAngel: the roles of Good and Bad Angel are played by a personified Right and Wrong arguments, who try to persuade the protagonist's son Pheidippides either to avoid or to enter into {{Socrates}}'s sophistical "Thinkery," making this trope ''[[OlderThanFeudalism palaioteros apo to chôma]]''.

** Additionally, the play pokes fun at penises, saying that, if you're a good man, yours will be nice and small.

{{Aristophanes}}' Ancient Greek comedy, originally written in 423 BCE and revised some years later, was originally written for Dionysia, a festival honoring [[ClassicalMythology Dionysus, the god of wine and partying]]. It shows, no thanks to the humor, which is crude and at times [[ToiletHumor scatological]]. It treats the [[ViewersAreMorons viewers like morons]], making a complete fool out of {{Socrates}} (who, although he is -- [[YourMileageMayVary Mileage Varying, of course]] -- a MagnificentBastard, was certainly not an idiot) and making fun of his profession. Perhaps that's why it was voted last out of three plays which were performed at the Dionysia that year.

* GoodAngelBadAngel

* {{Socrates}}: As previously mentioned, Socrates -- much like his contemporary Chaerophon would be if, y'know, he actually spoke in the play -- is completely out of character (if {{Plato}}'s dialogues are to be believed). He stays inside the Thinkery all day; flitters about pondering scientific mysteries such as "How far can a flea jump?"; and teaches young Greeks rheotric, which -- in {{Real Life}}, at least -- was left to the sophists.