# Demades and His Fable explained — Aesop's Fables

> Chapter companion for Aesop's Fables by Aesop.

## What happens

Demades the orator, frustrated by the inattentive Athenian Assembly, captures their attention by offering to tell a fable. He begins a story about Demeter, a Swallow, and an Eel crossing a river, but stops before finishing, rebuking the audience for prioritizing fables over public affairs.

## Themes in this chapter

### Wisdom and Foolishness

Demades uses a fable to expose the foolishness of the audience's inattention to serious matters.

### Cunning and Deception

Demades cunningly tricks the Assembly into listening by promising a fable, then turns the tale into a lesson.

## Character check-ins

### The Swallow

Appears in Demades' fable as one of the three travelers.

### The Eel

Appears in Demades' fable as one of the three travelers.

## Key lines

> Demades the orator was once speaking in the Assembly at Athens; but the people were very inattentive to what he was saying, so he stopped and said, “Gentlemen, I should like to tell you one of Aesop’s fables.”

The orator Demades, noticing the Athenian Assembly was not paying attention, paused and offered to share a fable by Aesop.

_Demades uses the promise of a fable to regain the audience's focus._

> “Demeter,” he replied, “is very angry with you for listening to fables when you ought to be minding public business.”

Demades explains that Demeter is upset because the audience pays attention to fables instead of attending to their civic duties.

_The moral rebukes the audience for misplaced priorities._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/fables_se/chapters/demades-and-his-fable
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/fables_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/fables_se/chapters