The Clouds: A Satire on Philosophy

Strepsiades has a beautiful, pampered son and a mountain of debts to show for it. Pheidippides cares only for horses, racing, and the reckless fun that is emptying his father's purse. When every creditor comes knocking, the desperate old farmer pins his last hope on a strange new school in Athens, the Thinkery, where the eccentric philosopher Socrates promises to teach any man to argue his way out of any obligation. But the lessons of the Thinkery come with a price no one warns about: they teach that the old gods are imaginary, and that the cleverest argument is always the right one. Soon Strepsiades learns what happens when a son masters the art of words. A witty, ferocious satire on fashion, family, and the danger of ideas, The Clouds remains as fresh today as when it made fifth-century Athens laugh. Faithfully retold in vivid, natural modern prose for today's readers. Part of Timeless Classics.