Clouds, Chaos and Tongue

The trickster themes that are prominent within "Clouds" are fundamental ambiguity and boundary crossing. These themes make themselves known through Strepsiades's denounciation of the gods as well as Socrates who claims that the only gods who exist are the Clouds, the tongue, and Chaos. This claim alone shows that there is a lack of what is seen as traditional order within the play.Chaos shows that the world within the play is distorted. Whereas the mortal tongue is responsible for manipulation of mortals within the play. The Clouds are the polar opposite of Chaos and remain the voice of reason throughout the story.

However, the clouds themselves are acknowledged by Socrates and Strepsiades as ever-changing " So.: Have you ever gazed up there and seen a cloud shaped like a centaur, or a leopard, wolf, or bull? St.: Yes, I have... So.: They become anything they want..." (lines 445-450). Even though the clouds are the stability throughout the play they are also part of that instability.

While Chaos and the Clouds are the only two representatives of immortality the tongue represents a shiftiness among the mortals. At the beginning of the play Strepsiades seeks to be a student of the Thinkery in order to convince his creditors that he does not have to pay them back. While Strepsiades is a student he changes his belief in the gods when Socrates skillfully questions him. Later, Strepsiades changes his view of gendered and non-gendered words (mortar, fowl, etc.). When the Thinkery does not benefit Strepsiades he sends his son instead who masters the art of arguing. However, these are turned against as punishment for him denouncing the gods and not being an honest individual.