Section 185
The Lion and the Hare explained simply
Aesop's Fables by Aesop
Original excerpt
Excerpt preview
A Lion found a Hare sleeping in her form, and was just going to devour her when he caught sight of a passing stag. Dropping the Hare, he at once made for the bigger game; but finding, after a long chase, that he could not overtake the stag, he abandoned the attempt and came ba...
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Public-domain original
A Lion found a Hare sleeping in her form, and was just going to devour
her when he caught sight of a passing stag. Dropping the Hare, he at
once made for the bigger game; but finding, after a long chase, that
he could not overtake the stag, he abandoned the attempt and came back
for the Hare. When he reached the spot, however, he found she was
nowhere to be seen, and he had to go without his dinner. "It serves
me right," he said; "I should have been content with what I had got,
instead of hankering after a better prize."
Public-domain original text shown for study context.
What happens here
A Lion found a Hare sleeping in her form, and was just going to devour her when he caught sight of a passing stag.
Why this scene matters
This fable matters because it turns a common human habit into a short lesson about judgment and consequences.
Characters in this scene
- The Lion: A figure in the fable whose choice helps reveal the lesson.
- The Hare: A figure in the fable whose choice helps reveal the lesson.
Simple story version
A Lion found a Hare sleeping in her form, and was just going to devour her when he caught sight of a passing stag. Dropping the Hare, he at once made for the bigger game; but finding, after a long chase, that he could not overtake the stag, he abandoned the attempt and came back for the Hare.