Letter to Aristophanes from Socrates

I just returned from the performance of your new comedy "Clouds", in which I am a central character. Your disappointment at receiving only third prize for this comedy is understandable following the very successful showing of "Acharnians." May I suggest that your last place designation may be, in some small part, a result of your inaccurate portrayal of me? Except for time as a soldier in the Peloponnesian War, I have spent my entire life in Athens. My character is known by many.

You have written a clever comedy of contrasts: thrifty father and extravagant son, urbane wife and rustic husband, pupil and teacher, wise and foolish, old and new, city and country, rich and poor, and prudence and passion. However, the sophists you describe have reputations as being either unscrupulous orators or rich and fashionable. I am neither. I am a thinker, an asker of questions, and a seeker of reasons. I give no thought to money or comfort.

Although your portrayal of me is generally inaccurate, I do find some similarities with the Socrates you have invented. I have assisted a number of associates in their studies, and, while I ran no formal school, our gatherings function as classes. The things we discussed and the knowledge we gained from one another is free and available to all who might join us. No payment was asked for the work we did together (Murray 92-93).

In your play, you seem to attribute all the new