The Clouds and Lysistrata by Aristophanes

These plays were fun to read (that may be a stretch). It was nice to laugh out loud. On the surface they seem silly and a little vulgar, but I know I was missing something because, after all, they were included in the Great Books. The Clouds was a commentary about Sophistry and how dangerous philosophy can be. Before I read this I didn't even know what sophistry was. It is using rhetoric to persuade someone to your side without regard to truth or right. All of the accusations laid against Socrates in his trial that led to his death were in this play. Aristophanes was pretty harsh, but I have a hard time believing that he wanted him to be executed for what he taught, although this play seems to have had a direct influence in that actually happening.

I did agree with him that teaching Rhetoric with out morals leads to corruption and that sophistry was not the best talent to enlarge. I thought it was really silly of Strepsaides to not think that teaching his already out of control son the art of arguing out of anything would not have any negative consequences for himself. People need to firmly know right from wrong before being given tools like this for them to play with.

Lysistrata was quite a shock to my sheltered mind. This was the most pornographic anything I have experienced. I skipped a lot, yet still had horrible images in my head. The scene with Myrrhine teasing her husband, Cinesias, was humorous, but probably that is because I am happily married. Some claim that it is about the battle of the sexes, but I can't buy that. Women were nothing to the Greeks. They had no status, they certainly were not going to be getting any power. In my opinion, this is all about the foolishness of the war. By the time this play was written, they had been fighting the Peloponesian war for 21 years. Aristophanes was saying that the time to end the war was so obviously now that even women could figure it out. It was even a woman who came up with the solution and negotiated the peace treaty.

I did enjoy learning a little about the everyday life was like for the Greeks. I learned a little ab out their customs, clothes, food, and furniture. I even learned some of the history because I researched for context. These plays make me wonder what people will have to read from us 2000 years from now. Oh please don't let it be face book, the Hunger Games, or, please shoot me, Twilight.