The Ass, the Fox & the Lion
Aesop's Fables - 18. The Ass, the Fox & the Lion
- The Aesop's fables dramatic structures -
This page is part of a computational narratology project
Contents
Text
Structure
Dramatic Cycles
In S1:
- ((eatFox,hungry,lion,animals),(eatFox,fox,animals))
Eating the fox is good for the lion, but bad for the fox.
- ((eatAss,hungry,lion,animals),(eatAss,ass,animals))
Eating the ass is good for the lion, but bad for the ass.
In S2:
- ((eatFox,hungry,lion),(eatFox,stalkFox,rested,lion))
Eating the fox is good for the lion, but tiring because he must stalk the fox.
- ((eatAss,hungry,lion),(eatAss,stalkAss,rested,lion))
Eating the ass is good for the lion, but tiring because he must stalk the ass.
- ((assTrapped,promise,eatFox,fox,friends),(assTrapped,eatAssEasily,ass,friends))
If the ass is trapped, then via the promise, the lion does not eat the fox and the fox is not harmed. At the same time, if the ass is trapped, it cannot run and the lion eats him easily, which is bad for the ass. Since both are friends the fact that the ass is trapped is problematic (paradoxical). Because this situation is created by the fox performing the task, this is a betrayal.
- ((assTrapped,promise,eatFox,fox,animals),(assTrapped,eatAssEasily,ass,animals))
This is similar to the previous cycle, but weaker, since it only denote an interpersonal conflict, not a betrayal.
- ((eatAssEasily,hungry,lion,animals),(eatAssEasily,ass,animals))
Eating the ass easily is good for the lion, but bad for the ass. This is a replication of the conflict above in S1.
