Aristophanes, The Clouds

 Dramatis Personae

• Strepsiades, main character. 
• Pheidippides, Strepsiades's son.
• Socrates, teacher
• Student, student of Socrates.
• Xanthias, Strepsiades's slave.
• Chorus of Clouds
• The better argument
• The worse argument
• Pasias
• Witness
• Amysias

Plot

• Strepsiades is worried about all his debts
• Debts related to horses for his Pheidippides, his son
• Strepsiades plans to make his son learn from Socrates the ways of winning any argument, just or unjust.
• That will make him get rid of all his debts.
• After Pheidippides' refusal to learn from Socrates, Strepsiades goes himself to the Thinkery.
• He learns many useless or absurd things, including that the traditional gods don't exist, but only three: the Clouds, Chaos and the Tongue.
• ultimately Socrates says he isn't a good student and wants him to bring his son for instruction (looking for some money)
• Pheidippides goes to the Thinkery and learns.
• Pasias comes with a witness for his money and Strepsiades says he won't pay.
• Amysias comes after his money and Strepsiades says he won't pay.
• Instead of helping Strepsiades, Pheidippides hits him and makes an argument for hitting older people.
• Pheidippides regrets everything he did and burns the Thinkery.