Guardare e apparire: la caratterizzazione delle Nuvole in Aristoph. "Nub." 275-290

As it is well known, the Aristophanean Clouds bear several symbolic significations. This paper deals with their self-introduction in the strophe of the parodos (“Nub.” 275-290). On the one hand, the solemnity of this section matches the dignity of the new deities of the ‘Socratic’ Thinkery. On the other, formal and linguistic devices (metre, vocabulary, phraseology), as well as images and contents, point instead to the values praised by traditional literature, especially archaic epic. The Clouds share the characterization of traditional figures such as the all-seeing Sun and the immortal mist-dressed watchers sent worldwide by Zeus to supervise the mortals’ deeds. The evident analogies imply indirectly that the Clouds also share the related functions and disposition: watching over the actions of men and safeguarding justice, acting on behalf of the Olympic gods. So, the first Clouds’ song foreshadows their real nature, which will become explicit just in the finale.