Aristophanes Clouds 920

ed. F. W. Hall, ed. William M. Geldart

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Clouds. Aristophanes. ed. F. W. Hall, ed. William M. Geldart. Oxford. 1906.

Sponsored by Perseus Project, Tufts University.

Funding provided by The Annenberg CPB/Project.

Current edition Perseus

Νεφέλαι (Greek) (Aristophanes. Aristophanis Comoediae, Vol. 1. Hall, F. W. and Geldart, William M., editors. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1906.)

Translations (2)
Clouds Perseus (Aristophanes. The Comedies of Aristophanes, Vol. I. Hickie, William James, translator. Bohn: London, 1853.) — 920 focus
English (Sanjaya, generated; selected passages) (OCR draft) Experimental (Source: pnadelofficial/aristophanes-sanjaya, commit c319590c139e5603e71f0699caa0663d823af8ad. Machine-generated source annotations retained; see Sanjaya import audit for coverage and limitations.) — 920 focus

Commentary

Commentary (Sanjaya, generated; selected passages) (OCR draft) (Source: pnadelofficial/aristophanes-sanjaya, commit c319590c139e5603e71f0699caa0663d823af8ad. Machine-generated source annotations retained; see Sanjaya import audit for coverage and limitations.) focus

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Line 922

Τήλεφος εἶναι Μυσὸς φάσκων,
The sentence presents a crux in textual transmission regarding the attribution of the participle φάσκων. While the majority of manuscripts (e.g., codex A) read φάσκων ("claiming"), some scholia and earlier editors have suggested φάσας or an emendation to φάσκοντος to align with the expected genitive absolute or nominative construction depending on the preceding context. However, in this specific fragment from the parabasis or a dialogue, the nominative φάσκων functions as a direct appositive to Τήλεφος, creating a compressed narrative style where the participle carries the weight of a reported speech act without an explicit verb of saying. This usage of the present participle φάσκων as a narrative device to introduce a character's self-identification is distinct from the more common aorist or imperfect forms found in similar biographical introductions in Old Comedy.

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ἐκ πηριδίου
The form πηριδίου is a rare Attic dialectal variant of πηριδίου (genitive of πηρίδιον, 'little pitcher'), often appearing in Aristophanic comedy to reflect colloquial or rustic speech. While the standard Attic form is πηρίδιον, the variant with -ρι- (instead of -ρι-) is attested in several comic texts and reflects a specific phonological feature of the period, possibly indicating a Doric or Boeotian influence in the character's speech or a deliberate comic distortion.

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Line 924

γνώμας τρώγων Πανδελετείους.
The phrase γνώμας τρώγων is a striking metaphorical usage where 'gnōmai' (maxims, opinions, or legal decisions) are treated as food. This reflects the Aristophanic caricature of the Sophists, specifically the character of Socrates in the play, as someone who consumes and digests abstract intellectual concepts rather than engaging in traditional civic or physical activities. The verb τρώγω (to gnaw, bite) suggests a voracious, perhaps undigested, or superficial consumption of these ideas, aligning with the play's satire of the new education.
The adjective Πανδελετείους refers to the people of Pandelea, a small deme or locality. In this context, it is likely a specific reference to a group of Sophists or intellectuals associated with that place, or potentially a pun on the name 'Pandeleus' (all-seeing or all-giving) if the text is corrupted or punning. However, the primary significance is the allusion to the specific circle of thinkers Aristophanes is targeting, possibly linking them to a specific geographical or social origin to mock their foreign or unconventional nature.

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Line 938

ἀντιλεγόντοιν κρίνας φοιτᾷ.
The verb φοιτᾷ (third person singular) appears with two dative agents, ἀντιλεγόντοιν, which is an unusual construction for this verb. While φοιτᾷ usually takes a simple dative of place or a prepositional phrase, the presence of two dative pronouns in the dual form suggests a specific syntactic pattern where the subject is the one who goes back and forth between two opposing parties. This construction is rare in Aristophanes and may reflect a colloquial or comedic usage to emphasize the dual nature of the debate.