From reading Plato's dialogues about Socrates, one creates an image in his or her mind on what the famous philosopher was like. His opinions and ideas are repeated in many of the dialogues. However, Plato's version of Socrates is greatly contrasted by the Socrates presented by Aristophanes in the Clouds. Aristophanes shows us a Socrates who throws out conventional ideals, creates disbelief in the Athenian gods, and corrupts the youth he teaches. This image is very different from the man seen in the Republic who was in search of justice and the perfect society.
             Socrates, as seen in the Clouds, shows a firm disbelief in the tradition Greek gods. This can be attributed to his desire to find truth through nature. His personal goal as a philosopher is to answer questions about the nature of all things, especially those concerning the gods. In his search for the truth about the existence or nonexistence of the gods, he discovers the Clouds. They serve as a type of god to him, though he only acknowledges them as so once during the play. He generally looks to the clouds for an explanation of natural occurrences, and several times states that they are forms controlled by the air. This contrasts the views of religion shown by Socrates in the Republic. In the creation of his ideal state, Socrates had censored any poems or writings that showed the traditional Greek gods to be anything but perfect. His ideas were meant to create firmer beliefs in the gods, where the Socrates shown by Aristophanes seeks to disprove them.
             Perhaps the greatest difference between the Platonic Socrates and the Socrates of the Clouds is the support shown for traditional values. In the Republic, Socrates seeks to find justice and maintain peace in his state. Children are to respect their elders, morals are to be upheld, and good behavior is a necessity. The Clouds, however, has Socrates educating his pupils to do the
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