Section 149
Venus and the Cat explained simply
Aesop's Fables by Aesop
Original excerpt
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A Cat fell in love with a handsome young man, and begged the goddess to change her into a woman. Venus was very gracious about it, and changed her at once into a beautiful maiden, whom the young man fell in love with at first sight and shortly afterwards married. One day Venus thought she would like...
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A Cat fell in love with a handsome young man, and begged the goddess
to change her into a woman. Venus was very gracious about it,
and changed her at once into a beautiful maiden, whom the young man
fell in love with at first sight and shortly afterwards married. One
day Venus thought she would like to see whether the Cat had changed
her habits as well as her form; so she let a mouse run loose in the
room where they were. Forgetting everything, the young woman had no
sooner seen the mouse than up she jumped and was after it like a shot:
at which the goddess was so disgusted that she changed her back again
into a Cat.
Public-domain original text shown for study context. Underlined terms can be tapped for simple reader notes.
What happens here
Venus turns a cat into a woman, but the cat still chases a mouse.
Why this scene matters
This fable teaches that outward change may not change inner nature.
Characters in this scene
- Venus: A central figure in the fable’s conflict and lesson.
- the Cat: A central figure in the fable’s conflict and lesson.
Simple story version
A cat becomes a beautiful woman. When a mouse appears, she forgets her new form and follows her old instinct.