# The Eagle and His Captor explained — Aesop's Fables

> Chapter companion for Aesop's Fables by Aesop.

## What happens

A man catches an eagle, clips its wings, and keeps it in his henhouse. The eagle is sold to a neighbor who lets its wings grow back. The eagle then hunts a hare and gives it to the neighbor. A fox advises the eagle to instead give gifts to the original captor to avoid being caught again.

## Themes in this chapter

### Wisdom and Foolishness

The fox's advice highlights the wisdom of strategic generosity versus the foolishness of rewarding a stranger over a known enemy.

### Justice and Consequence

The eagle's choice to reward the neighbor rather than the captor raises questions about fairness and the consequences of misplaced gratitude.

## Character check-ins

### The Eagle

Captured, clipped, sold, then freed; shows gratitude to the neighbor who restored his wings.

### The Fox

Observes the eagle's gift and advises him to appease the original captor.

### The Hare

Caught by the eagle and presented as a gift.

## Key lines

> A Man once caught an Eagle, and after clipping his wings turned him loose among the fowls in his henhouse, where he moped in a corner, looking very dejected and forlorn.

A man captured an eagle, cut its flight feathers, and left it in the henhouse, where it sat sadly in a corner.

_Describes the eagle's initial captivity and humiliation._

> As soon as he had recovered the use of them, the Eagle flew out and caught a hare, which he brought home and presented to his benefactor.

Once his wings grew back, the eagle flew off, caught a hare, and gave it to the man who had freed him.

_Shows the eagle's gratitude and the act of gift-giving._

> Don’t waste your gifts on him! Go and give them to the man who first caught you; make him your friend, and then perhaps he won’t catch you and clip your wings a second time.

Don't give presents to that man; instead, give them to the one who originally captured you, so he might spare you in the future.

_The fox's pragmatic advice to the eagle._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/fables_se/chapters/the-eagle-and-his-captor
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/fables_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/fables_se/chapters