The Man and the Lion by Esopo (1668)
The Man and the Lion, by Esopo: A man once encountered a lion in the forest. The lion demanded that the man be brought to him, and the man was terrified. The lion threatened to eat the man unless he could answer his questions correctly. The man, desperate to escape, agreed to play along. The lion asked the man his occupation, and the man replied, "I am a tailor." The lion then asked the man to sew a garment for him, and the man, thinking quickly, said he would do so. The lion was pleased with the man's answer and let him go.
By Esopo · First published 1668 · Genre: Fable, Children's Literature, Moral Story · 146 words
First lines
A Man and a Lion were companions on a journey, and in the course of conversation they began to boast about their prowess, and each claimed to be superior to the other in strength and courage. They were still arguing with some heat when they came to a crossroad where there was a statue of a Man strangling a Lion. "There! " said the Man triumphantly, "look at that! Doesn't that prove to you that we are stronger than you? " "Not so fast, my friend," said the Lion: "that is only your view of the case. If we Lions could make statues, you may be sure that in most of them you would see the Man underneath. "
There are two sides to every question.
What this Textopian page supports
The Man and the Lion is listed on Textopian as a fable by Esopo, dated 1668 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Fable
- Author: Esopo
- Date: 1668 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Fable, Children's Literature, Moral Story, Animal Fiction, Folklore
- Length: 146 words
- Structure: 1 section, 2 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for The Man and the Lion by Esopo
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
- Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph
Discussion starters
- What should a reader notice first when entering The Man and the Lion?
- How does this fable by Esopo fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
- Where does Fable first become important in the reading?
Similar titles
- The Lion In Love by Esopo
- The Quack Frog by Esopo
- The Bat The Bramble And The Seagull by Esopo
- The Old Hound by Esopo
- The Horse And The Groom by Esopo
- The Man The Horse The Ox And The Dog by Esopo
Genres
- Fable — The author, Esopo, is renowned for his fables, which typically involved personified animals and taught lessons or morals to the reader.
- Children's Literature — Fables by Esopo are often classified as children's literature due to their simple, engaging stories and instructive qualities.
- Moral Story — This work espouses a moral or instructional element, a common trait found in the fables penned by Esopo.
- Animal Fiction — This book, featuring a man and a lion as central characters, fits within the genre of animal fiction.
Tags
fable · morality · animal · lion · man · wisdom · caution · friendship · deception · nature · storytelling · allegory