Tomorrow on the Simpsons, Homer will discover that Bart has stolen his credit card and charged $10,000 worth of "Itchy and Scratchy" merchandise. Having no hope for paying off this debt, Homer decides to go to law school because he cannot afford to hire a bankruptcy lawyer. The famous lawyer, who teaches classes, sends a crestfallen Homer home to retrieve his son, for Homer is much too thick-headed to possibly learn the ways of the courts. As Bart graduates from law school, he uses his newfound skills of argument to convince the courts that his parents are insane, his sister Lisa deserves to be in a boarding school, and he should be able to put his youngest sister up for adoption. Unable to see another way, Homer tears down the walls of the Springfield Law School, attacking the famous lawyer for ruining his life. On many levels, this is a typical episode of The Simpsons, one I am sure any Simpson's fan would enjoy. The only problem is this is not an episode of The Simpsons, and it will not be airing tomorrow. This synopsis did not come from the TV Guide, rather it is an updated version of Aristophanes' famous comedy, Clouds. Though it may come as a surprise, many of the elements of America's favorite cartoon are actually the same elements used by Aristophanes many centuries ago in his comedic drama, Clouds.
There are many similarities between the main characters of Aristophanes' Clouds and the modern television favorite The Simpsons. The first comparison to be made is between the father figures Strepsiades and Homer Simpson. Though separated by centuries of changes, Strepsiades and Homer share a surprising number of basic character traits. First, they share a lack of intellectual strength; put simply, both characters are incredibly stupid. Strepsiades demonstrates this through his inability to learn as seen in his visits to the Pondertorium: "SOCRATES: This is preposterous![…]You'll get no more instruction from me" (Clouds 783). Homer Simpson certainly presents similar stupidity, so frequently that it has been a running gag for 12 years now. An example from the third Season follows: "HOMER: Fine! I'll never, ever, ever do another stupid thing! Good night! [angrily turns to leave and walks face first into the side of a truck]" (Vitti). Any modern Simpson's fan can easily see in their mind's eye Homer Simpson cast in the role of Strepsiades.
Homer Simpson and Strepsiades also have in common grand schemes, which nearly always backfire. Strepsiades' plan to have his son learn the inferior argument clearly backfires as his son uses the argument against his father. Homer's plans backfire as well. An example of this is the episode entitled "Lisa's Rival" from the sixth season, in which Homer plans to sell stolen sugar door to door. After quitting his job, he soon discovers that the open space of the backyard is not a good place for storage, as a combination of bees and rain destroy his surplus (Scully). And so the parallels continue.
Clearly, Homer and Strepsiades are both unintelligent and unwise at times; It is these traits which help them evoke a kind of sympathy from their audience, and this is another uniting characteristic in itself. Despite flaws in character, both are clearly protagonists, begging for the support of the audience. These unlikely heroes draw us to sympathize because they are exaggerations of our own fears of inadequacy. Surely every student has had a class where they felt not quite academically prepared or played a sport in which he or she has encountered someone faster, quicker, or more skilled. Our own plans backfire, and our own consciences fail us from time to time as we simply choose the wrong path. For these times in our lives, there is Homer Simpson or Strepsiades, to make us laugh and remind us of our own superiority.
Homer and Strepsiades are not the only overlap in the characterization of The Simpsons and Clouds; their sons have nearly as many traits in common. First of all, Bart Simpson and Pheidippides share a penchant for laziness. This is most apparent in Pheidippides, who spends much of his time in the play doing absolutely nothing. In fact, our first vision of him on stage is of a sleeping young man, ignoring his father's instruction (Clouds 8-40). This scene helps build Pheidippides' image of laziness. Bart, too, is well known for being lazy. Just as Pheidippides refuses to go to the Pondertorium to learn the Inferior Argument, Bart Simpson repeatedly cuts class and avoids learning all together. His attempt at answering questions on a history exam is an excellent example (Bart's handwritten responses are in italics): "When was our country discovered? 1942 Who discovered our country? Some guy What do we call our country? bonerLand" (Chen).
Another similarity is the intelligence of both sons, despite their apparent disinterest in learning. Bart Simpson has no desire to go to school, just as Pheidippides wishes to avoid the Pondertorium. Still, when pressed, both sons demonstrate the ability to learn and apply knowledge. This is true for Pheidippides as he does, indeed, learn the Inferior Argument; this is true for Bart when, after the history test quoted above, Bart demonstrates a knowledge of history, even if his rebellious spirit will not allow him to comply with standard tests and quizzes.
Furthermore, neither son shows any respect for his father. Pheidippides' rebellion is obvious, as he completely turns his back on his father at the end of the play, and commits the ultimate act of disrespect: physical abuse. "I was perfectly justified in giving you a beating, too" says Pheidippides (Clouds 1331). Though Pheidippides' disrespect comes as something of a surprise, Bart Simpson's disrespect for Homer never seems to end. Bart's most common catch phrases, including "Eat my shorts," and "Don't have a cow, man!" are most often aimed at Homer.
Despite this long list of similarities, there are some differences in the characterization that require attention. The Simpsons are a family, and the show focuses on each member of the family, while in Clouds, Strepsiades and Pheidippides are a family all on their own. In this way, family as a unit is unimportant to the outcome of Clouds. The Simpsons carries a number of regular characters, who each have a fairly large role in the show, while Clouds is mostly concerned with its comparatively few main characters. Furthermore, The Simpsons contains a number of villains, the most famous of these being Mr. Burns, while Strepsiades is really his own villain in a sense; his downfall is his own doing.
Though a close comparison of the characters of Clouds and The Simpsons can be very revealing, this is not the only level on which they must be compared. Just as important to understanding the similarities between the works is a very clear comprehension of the types of humor used in both. One type of humor Clouds and The Simpsons share is the unsophisticated sexual and scatological humor. In Clouds, Strepsiades is seen masturbating on stage for a series of scenes, to reinforce his unintelligence and undermine the great opinion Socrates holds of himself. A similar level of humor is presented in The Simpsons when Homer and Marge are nearly in a car accident, while "reading" intently the "Kama Sutra" (Greaney).
Humor within both works target political figures and social leaders as well. Much of Clouds is concerned with attacking the figure of Socrates, while The Simpsons often makes political statements. Aside from the obvious ridicule of Socrates and the sophists, Aristophanes makes some very subtle criticisms; this is the way the Simpsons presents its social commentary. When Bart writes on the blackboard at the beginning of each episode, it often relates somehow to current events. An example of this is when Bart writes "Nobody cares what my definition of 'is' is / Nobody cares what my definit…" on the chalkboard in the show opening (Carey). This, in reality, refers to the impeachment hearings involving former President Clinton. So intent on escaping his lies, Clinton asked for a definition of nearly every single word used by the judiciary committee, searching for a loophole. He carried this to the point of asking for their definition of the word "is." Bart's punishment quite clearly refers to this discussion.
Both works also employ religious themes to reach their audiences. While Socrates is trying to educate Strepsiades, he tries to convince him that the gods are not necessesarily responsible for creation; he only succeeds, however, in convincing him that a fictitious Basin is the king of the gods. Strepsiades' counterpart in The Simpsons, meanwhile, creates his own religion. It is not until he nearly burns down his house, while his family is attending a more traditional church service, that Homer realizes that perhaps there could be something morally wrong with a worship service that employs beer and "Playdude" as sacramental drink and religious text (Meyer)
This is all not to say that every aspect of their humor is the same. Today, The Simpsons caters to a very specific type of viewer, while Aristophanes works were viewed by nearly every citizen, as part of the religious festivals. This accounts for a difference in structure and staging. In addition, The Simpsons is a serial production, which accounts for a history and a foundation of past occurrences as a basis for many simple jokes. Aristophanes, writing stand-alone comedies, did not have the luxury of this type of humor. Also, Aristophanes works were written for festivals in which they competed against other comedies. Because of this, Clouds and other works like it may very likely be based on popular opinion, as Aristophanes could not easily go against what the populace believed, and still win at these festival competitions. This is not true for The Simpsons, however. The very nature of the medium of television is that it need not comply with every public opinion. Those uninterested in The Simpsons can choose not to watch as easily as pressing a button. The writers of The Simpsons, then, have the freedom to cater specifically to an audience of only interested viewers, rather than broadening subject matter wide enough to reach a larger, more diverse audience.
Despite a span comprised of cultural differences, large spaces of time, and even linear distance, today's modern comedy The Simpsons is worthy of comparison to Aristophanes' great comedic drama, Clouds. The Strepsiades of Classical Greece is clearly the Homer Simpson of today, just as Bart Simpson has his counterpart, Pheidippides. This may seem insignificant, but given the nature of humor, the fact that what makes humans laugh has not changed over the course of many centuries is something very telling about the human race. Despite changes in technology, belief systems, and political systems, the voices that define a generation are still using comedy to reach people. Perhaps, then for society, it is more than cliché that laughter is the best medicine.
Works Cited
Aristophanes. Clouds, Wasps, Birds. trans. Peter Meineck. Indianapolis, IN:
Hacket Publishing Company, 1998.
Carey, Donick. The Simpsons Archive. "D'oh-in' in the Wind." 6 Nov.
2000. Ed. Benjamin Robinson. 6 Sept. 2001. <http://www.snpp.com/episodes/ABFF02.html>
Chen, Raymond, Ed. The Simpsons Archive. "Treehouse of Horror II"
6 Nov. 2000. 6 Sept. 2001. <http://www.snpp.com/episodes/8F02.html>
Greaney, Dan. The Simpsons Archive. "I'm With Cupid." 6 Nov. 2000.
Ed. Benjamin Robinson. 6 Sept. 2001.<http://www.snpp.com/episodes/ABF11.html>
Meyer, George. The Simpsons Archive. "Homer the Heretic." 6. Nov.
2000. Ed. Chris Baird. 6 Sept. 2001. <http://www.snpp.com/episodes/9F01.html>
Scully, Mike. The Simpsons Archive. "Lisa's Rival." 6 Nov. 2000. Ed.
James A. Cherry. 6 Sept. 2001. <http://www.snpp.com/episodes/1F17.html>
Vitti, Jon. The Simpsons Archive. "Mr. Plow." 6 Nov. 2000. Ed. James
A. Cherry. 6 Sept. 2001. <http://www.snpp.com/epsiodes/9F07.html>