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English 240: Ancient Literature Questions on Aristophanes' The Clouds Alfred J. Drake. Hours: Cyber Cafe Tu/Th. 12-1 | ajdrake@ajdrake.com As the Journal Instructions indicate, please respond to any 5 of the following questions for the play: 1. In A Guide to Greek Theatre and Drama, Kenneth McLeish points out that in Aristophanes' plays, when real-world characters enter the fantasy land that has replaced the ordinary, their concerns seem ridiculous. How would you compare The Clouds to that description? 2. To what extent do the actors and chorus involve the audience in their performance? How does this tendency of Aristophanes compare to modern comedy with which you are familiar? 3. What roles does the Chorus of Clouds play throughout this comedy? 4. What does Strepsiades hope to learn at the Thinkery? What ideas does he hold about the doctrines taught there before he becomes a student? 5. From lines 128-217, what does Strepsiades actually find happening at the Thinkery? What sort of criticism is being leveled at Socrates and other contemporary philosophers (the Sophists) by this portrayal? 6. From lines 218-509, Strepsiades converses with Socrates. What kind of knowledge do Socrates and the Cloud-Chorus offer him? How does Socrates himself regard the Clouds? 7. From lines 518-626, Aristophanes speaks through the main Cloud—how is this interlude or “parabasis” related to the play's main action? Is Aristophanes including himself in the sights of his satire? Explain. 8. From lines 867-1112, Strepsiades drags Pheidippides to the Thinkery, and makes him listen to a long debate by Just and Unjust Speech. What is the subject of that debate, and what is the outcome of it? 9. From 1113-1451, we see the results of Pheidippides' education. Strepsiades deals with creditors, but why do he and his son quarrel, and how does Pheidippides justify beating his own father? 10. From 1452-end, Strepsiades takes his revenge on Socrates. Modern comedy—Shakespearean comedy in particular—involves a removal from everyday affairs in order to purge away corruptions and renew the social order. But what does Strepsiades accomplish by burning down the Thinkery?
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