The Clouds
Summary
Strepsiades is a debtor who will be taken to court at the end of the month for his debts. His son Pheidippides has bankrupt him with his schemes and his horses, and Strepsiades has threatened to turn him out if he doesn't mend his ways. As a last-ditch effort, Strepsiades turns to Sokrates, who is famed for his sophistry and ability to teach others to evade debts. Strepsiades is too old to learn, though, so he puts Pheidippides in school. His scheme works, and Pheidippides gains the sophistry skills to run circles around the debt collectors. Unfortunately, Strepsiades learns that his son's sophistry works against him when Pheidippides starts to beat Strepsiades unashamedly, giving justifications that Strepsiades cannot rebut. Strepsiades sees the error of choosing sophistry over philosophy, and goes to Sokrates' school and begins to burn it down, beating the inhabitants until they run away.