"The Clouds" by Aristophanes ****

> Written 423 B.C., Greek playwright

> Vocabulary: 1) casuistry: the study of or the doctrine that deals with cases of conscience b : the reasoning about or resolution of questions of right or wrong in conduct through the application of religious or secular ethical principles and rules 2) empyrean: the earthly perfection of the individual to a height no less empyrean than Luther's ideal of religious salvation

> p.17..."Drat this stinking war anyway! It's ruined Athens. Why, you can't even whip your own slaves any more or they'll desert to the Spartans.".....the more things change the more they stay the same!

> p.28..."Why, the man who has mastered the ass of the gnat could win an acquittal from any court!"...LOL

> p.33..."You see, only by being suspended aloft, by dangling mind in the heavens and mingling my rare thought with the ethereal air, could I ever achieve strict scientific accuracy in my survey of the vast empyrean."...Socrates' response to being called a snob

> clouds are the gods according to Socrates....lovely poetry sung by approaching Clouds on p.37

> p.39..."Those were the Clouds of heaven, goddesses of men of leisure and philosophers. To them we owe our repertoire of verbal talents: our eloquence, intellect, fustian, casuistry, force, wit, prodigious vocabulary, circumlocutory skill...".

> Closing is wonderfully satirical....Strepsiades has lit the "Thinkery" on fire, and stands on the roof looking down at the fleeing Socrates, who queries, "What is thy purpose upon my roof?" to which Strepsiades replies, " Ah, sir. I walk upon the air and look down upon the sun from a superior standpoint."....laughing at sophistry

> LibraryThing Review: What a pleasant surprise this drama was! I picked this ancient Greek play up in anticipation of an intellectual muscle stretcher and ended up laughing out loud. Who knew Aristophanes could be so wonderfully entertaining! That silly old Socrates! This drama was entered into a competition in roughly 423 B.C. as an attempt to regain the playwright's standing as the champion. Excellent choice! He poked fun at the Sophists quite well! Very readable too!