Aesop's Fables · Chapter
The Ass, the Cock, and the Lion explained
An Ass and a Cock are together in a cattle-pen when a starving Lion approaches.
What happens
An Ass and a Cock are together in a cattle-pen when a starving Lion approaches. The Cock's crow frightens the Lion away, but the Ass, emboldened by this, pursues the Lion. Once out of the Cock's sight and hearing, the Lion turns and devours the Ass, illustrating that false confidence leads to disaster.
Themes in this chapter
Pride and Folly
The Ass's false confidence and pride in chasing the Lion leads to its downfall.
Wisdom and Foolishness
The Ass's foolishness in overestimating its own strength contrasts with the Lion's cunning patience.
Characters to notice
- The Ass
Elated by the Lion's flight from the Cock's crow, the Ass foolishly pursues the Lion and is eaten.
- The Cock
Frightens the Lion with his crow, but his protective presence is limited to the cattle-pen.
- The Lion
Starving Lion is scared away by the Cock's crow, but later turns on the Ass when the Cock is absent.
Key passages
“False confidence often leads to disaster.”
Overestimating one's own abilities based on a temporary advantage can result in ruin.
Direct moral of the fable.