The Clouds

:This article is about the play by Aristophanes. The Clouds was also the name of a popular Australian indie rock band and a British indie pop band. See The Clouds (Australian band) and The Clouds (UK band), respectively.

Related Topics:
Indie rock - Indie pop - The Clouds (Australian band) - The Clouds (UK band)

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The Clouds (Nephelai) is a comedy written by the Ancient Greek playwright Aristophanes lampooning the sophists and the intellectual trends of late fifth-century Athens. Although it took last place in the comic festival Aristophanes entered it in, it is one of his most famous works because it offers a highly unusual portrayal of Socrates. Many also find the play to be quite funny as an irreverent satire of pretentious academia.

Related Topics:
Comedy - Ancient Greek - Aristophanes - Sophist - Athens

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Aristophanes re-wrote the play after its initial failure, inserting an interlude into the middle of the action in which the playwright himself takes the stage and chastizes the audience for their poor sense of humor. Thus the play can also be regarded as one of the first instances of self-referential or post-modern literature.

Related Topics:
Self-referential - Post-modern

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