Mitchell Miranda

4 February 2009

Aristophanes vs. Socrates

In The Clouds, Aristophanes presents Socrates as a somewhat crazy old man, perhaps not long for this earth. The playwright even goes as far as belittling the man via his immense interest in “how many of its own feet a flea could leap.” Perhaps, in the mind of Aristophanes, the measuring of a flea’s jumping distance is an utter waist of time for such an ingenious man as Socrates. The writer relates Socrates’ belief, or should we say lack there of, in the gods of Olympus; he especially goes as far as to mock the very notion of the almighty Zeus’ existence, the ultimate taboo of ancient Greek ideology. We do hear, however, of Socrates praying to the Clouds, his wondrous goddesses of the sky, who – in his mind– cause the very things that attribute to the existence of man.
In this reader’s opinion, Socrates is a great man worthy of much praise. Even though he is portrayed in a somewhat negative light by the writing of Aristophanes, the writer is still able to recognize the genius of the wise philosopher. Aristophanes presents Socrates as an eccentric, rambling, and at times, off-putting old man, which actually reflects the personality of the real man quite well. One finds it difficult to decide if the actions of such a man are good or bad; all we can say definitively is that his actions are just. Depending on the situation presented, one can conclude that Socrates holds the right answer.
Socrates is most assuredly doing great things with his life. Paramount among all the man’s actions lays his ability to induce his students to think. As we proceed further into the text, we read of Socrates forcing Strepsiades, his old student, into a blanket infested with fleas. Why does he do this? Is it just to taunt the old, unlearned man, or is it something much more significant? We learn that Socrates’ reason for doing this is to make Strepsiades focus his mind on his thoughts, as opposed to his outward pain. One could argue that once one’s mind is in complete focus, all outward distractions – including pain – are meaningless compared to the power of one’s own mind. Pain is but a thought which can be contained.
We are, most certainly, to admire the actions of such a man as Socrates. The philosopher’s intellect alone is worthy of innumerable praise although the man’s actions, at times, appear somewhat strange. Even though the reason for some acts might not always be apparent and, at times, seem quite absurd, the result, nonetheless, is always the same – to prompt his students to think. If one looks at the cultural and ideological traditions of the ancient Greeks, one observes that the unkempt somewhat dirty shoeless appearance of Socrates presents an opposition to what was considered “normal” to the people of the time in which this play was written. The actions of Socrates in this respect present an alternative view of what a man with high intellect should look like.
Lastly, why does Aristophanes show Socrates in such a negative favor? Perhaps he views the man as a complete heretic, going against all the former views and beliefs of the Greek people and condemning the beliefs that these men hold so dear. One could also argue the point that perhaps Aristophanes might have been jealous of Socrates’ political and philosophical success compared to that of his own. Perhaps, too, the playwright could have envied the immense and powerful genius of the renowned philosopher. Then again, one cannot rule out the possibility that, by chance, Aristophanes just did not care for Socrates or his work. No person can oppose the undeniable skill and minds of these two great men, and the indelible mark that they left in the collective annals of humanity.