A father seeks to get out of debt, not in the traditional way of paying it off, but in the new way of winning an argument over his creditors. It doesn’t matter whether the argument is true or not, only if it gets him out of debt.
This quest drives the father, Strepsiades, into the school of Socrates (likely in attendance at the play in 423BC) to learn the “wrong argument.” What ensues is a hilarious series of scenes masking some serious commentary on truth, justice, and persuasion. Arguments in the form of Right vs Wrong are even personified by actors, with the fourth wall between the audience regularly broken.
I’m new to comedies, but what I’ve seen so far is a mix of Saturday Night Live and a roast. SNL for the cultural commentary and a roast for the tremendous abuse inflicted in person against notable people in the community. It’s funny, but it borders on cringe. I’m amazed that this was allowed in Ancient Greece, but I also wonder if this play set a path that led to the death of Socrates 24 years later.
In this podcast episode, I highlight some key themes, give an overview of the story, and share the one thing that delighted me the most.
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