Analysis Of The Clouds, By Aristophanes

The Clouds, written by Aristophanes is written and set in Athens, ancient Greece. A main motif in the drama is the conflict between old and new. Strepsiades, the main character, is an old countryman and a traditionalist. He puts his hopes of getting rid of his debts on the new education, which backfires. In The Clouds, Aristophanes suggests that traditional values are right, so Athens and the rest of the world should keep the ‘old’ ways and not get blinded by the corruption of the youth.
In the drama, Aristophanes has the character Right favor tradition, to show that older values and more just. Right starts his speech to Pheidippides with, “I’ll tell about the ways boys were brought up in the old days -- the days when I was all the rage and it was actually fashionable to be decent” (152). Right argues that decency was popular in the old days and it no longer is. Right suggests that it is now fashionable to be disrespectful and immoral. Aristophanes supports Right’s argument and names tradition Right to show the Athenians and the audience that they should not stray away from tradition. Right says, “Don’t ever contradict your father or call him an antediluvian; he brought you up before you could fly by yourself; be grateful” (153). Right continues to say how ways were in the old days. Right is saying that youth

In The Clouds, Aristophanes uses Strepsiades to the flaws in traditional ways by making his character dishonest and stupid, but he also ends up favoring tradition, which supports Aristophanes message. Aristophanes also uses Right and Wrong to show the flaws of both tradition and modernity. It’s not that the older values are better, it’s just that Socrates approach is bad. Without the good and bad examples, how would the Athenian citizens know right from wrong? You need a mixture of modernity and tradition, but Aristophanes ultimately sides with