The Lion's Court by Jean de La Fontaine

Name: The Lion's Court
Author: Jean de La Fontaine

The Lion summons all the beasts subject to his rule to a splendid court, intending through feasting and entertainment by Sir Jocko to display his immense power. When the animals gather in the royal hall, its charnel smell is so foul that the bear covers his nose. Offended by this gesture, the Lion kills him and sends him to Pluto's court. The ape, naturally a flatterer, applauds the Lion's cruelty and extravagantly praises both the monarch's anger and the stench of the place, claiming it surpasses amber, roses, pinks, and hawthorn in fragrance. His excessive praise displeases the Lion, who makes him share the bear's fate. When the fox is commanded to give an honest judgment of the smell, he avoids both blunt criticism and fulsome flattery. Pretending to suffer from a severe cold, he sneezes and says that he has largely lost his sense of smell. By remaining noncommittal, he escapes danger, teaching that those who seek the favour of kings should keep a middle course between rebuke and praise.

By Jean de La Fontaine · First published 1678 · Genre: Fable, Political Satire, Allegory · 580 words

First lines

His lion majesty would know, one day, / What bestial tribes were subject to his sway. / He therefore gave his vassals all, / By deputies a call, / Despatching everywhere / A written circular, / Which bore his seal, and did import / His majesty would hold his court / A month most splendidly; -- / A feast would open his levee, / Which done, Sir Jocko's sleight / Would give the court delight. / By such sublime magnificence / The king would show his power immense.

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Genres

Fable — The work uses talking animals in a brief allegorical narrative and concludes with an explicit moral about surviving the favor of rulers.
Political Satire — The lion's arbitrary cruelty, the ape's fatal flattery, and the fox's evasive diplomacy satirize absolutist courts and the dangers of pleasing powerful leaders.
Allegory — The animal characters represent recognizable human types: the tyrant, the blunt truth-teller, the sycophant, and the prudent courtier.
Didactic Literature — Its primary purpose is instructional, teaching that prudent ambiguity is safer than either frank criticism or excessive praise before authority.

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The Lion's Court is listed on Textopian as a fable by Jean de La Fontaine, dated 1678 CE.

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Work type: Fable
Author: Jean de La Fontaine
Date: 1678 CE
Language: English
Genres: Fable, Political Satire, Allegory, Didactic Literature, Verse Narrative
Length: 580 words
Structure: 1 section, 5 paragraphs
Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)

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