Νεφέλαι
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Aristophanes · first staged City Dionysia, 423 BC · third prize · the surviving text is a later revision, never staged
A satire of the sophists, with Socrates at their head. Strepsiades, deep in his son’s debts, enrols at Socrates’ Thinkery to learn the argument that wins any case. It works too well, and he burns the school down.
Persons, in order of appearance
- Στ.Strepsiades
- Φε.Pheidippides
- Οἰ.Slave
- Μαθ.Student
- Σω.Socrates
- Χο.Chorus
- Κρ.Better Argument
- Ητ.Worse Argument
- Χρη. ΑʹFirst Creditor
- Χρη. ΒʹSecond Creditor
- Μαθ. ΑʹFirst Student
- Μαθ. ΒʹSecond Student
Translations
- The Eleven Comediesprose · 1912 · aligned by speech · with Dover's Greek
- W. J. Hickieprose · 1853 · aligned by line · with Dover's Greek
- William Arrowsmithverse · 1962 · aligned by speech · with Dover's Greek
- Ian Johnston (VIU)verse · aligned by speech · with Dover's Greek
Greek texts
Cite as Ar. Nub. 1–1510-1511
Full synopsis (tells the ending)
Strepsiades cannot sleep for his debts, which his horse-mad son Pheidippides has run up. He has heard that Socrates' school next door teaches an argument that wins any case, the Worse over the Better. He enrols himself, proves too slow, and sends the boy instead. Pheidippides comes home able to argue anything. The creditors are beaten off with the new logic; then the son beats his father and proves he was right to. Strepsiades sets fire to the school with Socrates inside.
Drawing: Line drawing after a photo of a Sicilian red-figure calyx-krater (Louvre CA 7249), taken off the vase's curve, cut out and retraced.