Aristophanes’ Socrates: A Man Leading a Revolution in Learning with Absurd Ideas and Methods
“Come, who is this man in this basket?” (line 218) This question, posed by Strepsiades, is the first glimpse of Socrates that Aristophanes reveals to the audience. The student’s response to this question is “Himself” (line 219). Aristophanes, from the very first introduction of the character Socrates, characterizes him as a person unlike any mere human being. In this scene, he is in a hot air balloon so that he can think more clearly, portraying that he is a man who does things quite differently than they are normally done. Aristophanes characterizes Socrates as someone who has the ability to create a group of followers who marvel at him; followers who assume all should know who he is, just like the student expected Strepsiades to automatically know Socrates. Socrates is Aristophanes’ symbol of the new age of education and learning. Aristophanes thought Socrates, and his new school of thought, to be illogical and very much ridiculous.
The mere fact that Aristophanes wrote Clouds as a satire conveys how he did not think this “new age” of learning should be taken seriously. Aristophanes, through Strepsiades’ inability to absorb Socrates’ teachings, shows Socrates’ following to be that of youth and those who do not know any better than to adhere to his teachings. Strepsiades was meant to represent traditions and the “old” way of life. Strepsiades was a farmer who made his living on his land, while those of the “new age” sat in classrooms learning sometimes absurd, seemingly useless things. Strepsiades tried to learn what Socrates was teaching to his followers, but was unable to do so. Partly Strepsiades’ failure was due to the fact that Socrates became frustrated with the old man’s stubbornness and ignorance. At one point Socrates tell Stepsiades, “You’re talking foolishness. Go away. I won’t teach you anymore,” (783-784). Socrates did not want to hear Strepsiades’ arguments against learning his methodologies. Therefore, Socrates was unable to teach the older generation his new ideas, so he forced Strepsiades to send his young son to his school so that he could do the learning with his youthful mind. With Pheidippides, Socrates was able to transform a mind into believing all that he taught him to believe and to think. Socrates, in Clouds, does not seem to be doing something useful with his life and his teachings. He is unable to teach the older minds his new material. Also, he forces those who want to learn to pay for his instruction. He seems to be looking for a profit for all of his new methodologies that he is teaching. Aristophanes’ portrayal of Socrates appears to be one that is not to be admired for much of anything. He only wants to teach those young minds and, because of this, he brings divisions between the old and the new minds. Socrates caused Strepsiades’ and Pheidippides’ relationship to be weak, not as strong as it was before Pheidippides attended Socrates’ school. This makes Socrates somewhat of a bad person. He caused a division in a family that interacted well with each other. Towards the end of the play, Strepsiades bemoans “But nowhere is it the law that the father suffer this,” (line 1420). To this Pheidippides replies “Wasn’t he who first set down this law a man like you and me?” (line 1421). Socrates has taught Pheidippides to have no respect for authority or tradition. Aristophanes shows Socrates to have no desire to reconcile the dichotomy between tradition and new age thought. Socrates seems to only be interested in furthering his ideals, and not respecting or valuing the old way of life.
At the end of the play, Pheidippides has no care for horses, which caused much debt in the family, or for his father, who he loved deeply before going to school. Pheidippides became a totally different person after learning the ideas of Socrates. Aristophanes seems to be warning his audience that this is the danger of the “new” education that has arisen. People like Socrates are planning to revolutionize the minds of the young, which will indeed revolutionize society as a result.
I like that you started the paper with the quote of Socrates coming into the play on his hot air balloon. This definitely shows that Socrates was posed as being eccentric in the eyes of Aristophanes. In my opinion, the absurd presentation of Socrates was meant to deter prospective students from seeking him out. Aristophanes clearly disagreed with Socrates’ views on many different points. Also I like that you included what happened to Pheidippides. I think Aristophanes put the character in to show how “brainwashed” Socrates’ students were after learning from him. I think Aristophanes was afraid of what the “new learning” would do to society.
ReplyDeleteI'm not entirely sure that the distinction you make between "new age" and the "old way of life" are really at war here in Clouds. It isn't that Strepsiades was unable to learn from Socrates, and it also isn't true that Socrates was unwilling to teach him. Strep does learn things from Socrates. Socrates actually ACCEPTS Strep as his student. I don't think that this means, in any way, that he is unwilling to teach old men. The reason that Socrates is agitated is because he, "forget[s] right away whatever [he] learns." (line 785)After he visits him for the first time, Strep returns to get his son.
ReplyDeleteWhen Strep returns home to fetch his son, Aristophanes' allows the reader to see, more deeply, the interactions between father and son. Strep doesn't forget all of Socrates' teaching - and he most certainly isn't replaced because of stubbornness... He has an intense desire to learn. We see here that he even demonstrates to his son what Socrates showed him! But more importantly, I don't think that the relationship between father and son was any better at the beginning of Clouds than it is at the end. (Maybe it's a little bit worse...)
In the beginning, Phied is blatantly disrespectful. When Strep asks him to go to Socrates to learn, he refuses outright. Only after much goading does he actually agree. I'm not sure what transformed Phied more, Socrates' teaching, or his father's choice. I feel like father and son were actually closer after Phied met with Socrates. Aristophanes seems to argue that when Socrates' wisdom was used unjustly (to lie, cheat, steal, etc.) that the consequences of that action are... unfortunate.
I also don't think that you can say that Socrates wanting payment to teach is morally incorrect. If I was a teacher, I would want payment too. What other way would Socrates have to earn a living if he didn't receive payment for his work? This is just basic economics - humans are motivated by personal gain. It happens.
I want to bring the discussion back about the "new" and "old" though. This is an age-old adage. The "new" school is ousting the older, more virtuous one. Aristophanes seems to argue with the speeches metaphor that both schools of thought have always existed. It is just now that the "Unjust" speech was overcoming the "Just." I'm not sure that Aristophanes really is warning about education in general, just in the way that education is taken and used. Strep used it for evil - and evil was his only goal. I think this is where Aristophanes draws his argument. It was Socrates' duty to ensure that his wisdom was being used for a virtuous cause. Since he failed in that, he is seemingly a morally bad character. Well... He's actually just kind of a crazy hippie.