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Classics/Greek Drama ISBN:
978-0-9797571-3-6
USD $9.95
Translated by Ian Johnston
The comic
drama Clouds (423 BC) is one of the most famous and popular satires ever
written. In it Aristophanes, the greatest comic dramatist of ancient
times, takes issue with the intellectual and moral depravity of his
fellow Athenians, particularly with their thirst for radical innovations
in traditional ways of thinking and for their unscrupulous
self-interest. The play is particularly famous for its portrayal of
Socrates, the target of much of the very robust satire. Here, he is
pictured as a caricature of the arch sophist, eager to earn money by
training young Athenians so that they can successfully use corrupt
notions of language, law, and just dealing to their own advantage. The
portrait is clearly at considerable odds with what we know about
Socrates from other sources; nonetheless his character here is very
famous as an unforgettable picture of a sly intellectual rogue. The
Athenians come in for their share of humorous satiric criticism as well,
given how greedy they are to use people like Socrates to escape
unwelcome obligations. Aristophanes obviously exaggerates considerably
for comic effect, but the ominous tone in the play's ending reminds us
that some years later these citizens turned against the historical
Socrates and condemned him to death.
Ian Johnston's new verse translation of Aristophanes' Clouds stays close
to the original text yet offers an accessible and fluent English
version, which conveys the full range of Aristophanes' style - ribald
humor, lyric expressiveness, and underlying ironic seriousness - in a
text full of dramatic energy. The translation also offers explanatory
footnotes to assist the reader with any potentially confusing
references.