 This interest on language did not depend on exclusively erudite or grammatical interests, as though Protagoras simply sought to codify or standardise the linguistic usages of the Greek world. On the contrary, practical and philosophical interests were in play. On the one hand, it was a matter of increasing the potential of words in view of the practical aim of teaching pupils to exploit language to further their goals: it is by mastering a language that one can use it more effectively. This is what happens in the Clouds; as Aristophanes was to note, these are the tools that help “make the weaker argument the stronger” (80B6b DK): in order to learn the “unjust argument” (Aristophanes’ version of Protagoras’ “weaker argument”), one must first learn the rules of grammar (Clouds, 658–691 = 80C3 DK). Besides, criticism of Homer is also a way to challenge the poet’s authority. From the surviving testimonies it appears that an important part of Protagoras’ teaching was devoted to the interpretation of poets such as Homer, Simonides (see Plato’s Protagoras 339a–e) and Hesiod (see below  §5).  Clearly, the purpose is not to provide a mere exegesis. Rather, it is to critically discuss the text and fulfil an educational goal: literary criticism is a useful intellectual exercise which enables the individual to grow familiar with and eventually criticise traditional values which were conveyed by the poets (Morgan 2000: 89–94). The sophist’s strategy is one of appropriation, where an engagement with traditional knowledge represents the starting point of their attempt to acquire a dominant position in the Athenian cultural scene. In such a way, Protagoras could reinforce his claim to be a new teacher, an educator capable of imparting teachings suited to the needs of the new world of the  polis.[2]