Aesop's Fables · Chapter
The Apes and the Two Travellers explained
Two travellers, one a habitual liar and the other a truth-teller, arrive in the land of Apes.
What happens
Two travellers, one a habitual liar and the other a truth-teller, arrive in the land of Apes. The Ape King, seated in state with his subjects arrayed around him, asks each for their opinion of him and his court. The liar flatters the King with grand praise and receives a rich reward. The truth-teller, expecting an even greater reward for honesty, bluntly calls the King and his subjects 'fine Apes,' which so enrages the King that he orders the truth-teller to be clawed to death.
Themes in this chapter
Cunning and Deception
The lying traveller uses flattery to deceive the Ape King and gain a reward, illustrating how deceit can be rewarded in corrupt systems.
Wisdom and Foolishness
The truthful traveller's naive expectation that honesty will be rewarded in a court that values flattery shows a lack of practical wisdom.
Justice and Consequence
The unjust punishment of the truthful traveller and the rewarding of the liar highlight the perversion of justice under a tyrannical ruler.
Characters to notice
- The Monkey
The King of the Apes, who demands flattery and punishes honesty.
- The Lying Traveller
One of the two travellers, who never speaks the truth and flatters the Ape King for reward.
- The Truthful Traveller
The other traveller, who never tells a lie and is brutally punished for his honesty.
Key passages
“Two men were travelling together, one of whom never spoke the truth, whereas the other never told a lie: and they came in the course of their travels to the land of Apes.”
Two travelers journeyed together: one was a habitual liar, the other always told the truth, and eventually they arrived in a country ruled by apes.
Sets up the contrasting characters and the setting for the fable.
“The lying Traveller said, 'Sire, everyone must see that you are a most noble and mighty monarch.'”
The dishonest traveler flattered the Ape King, calling him a noble and powerful ruler.
Illustrates the liar's strategy of using flattery to gain favor.
“I think you are a very fine Ape, and all your subjects are fine Apes too.”
The truthful traveler bluntly stated that the king and his subjects were simply apes.
The honest but tactless remark that leads to the traveler's death.