# The Hawk, the Kite, and the Pigeons explained — Aesop's Fables

> Chapter companion for Aesop's Fables by Aesop.

## What happens

Pigeons, persecuted by a Kite, invite a Hawk to protect them, only to find the Hawk kills more of them than the Kite ever did, illustrating the folly of trusting a dangerous ally.

## Themes in this chapter

### Cunning and Deception

The hawk deceives the pigeons into trusting him, exploiting their desperation for protection.

### Wisdom and Foolishness

The pigeons' lack of wisdom in choosing a protector leads to greater harm, highlighting the folly of poor judgment.

## Character check-ins

### The Hawk

Invited by the pigeons to defend them, but proves more destructive than the original enemy.

### The Kite

The original persecutor of the pigeons, who carried them off periodically.

### The Pigeons

The victims who foolishly invite a hawk for protection, only to suffer greater losses.

## Key lines

> The Pigeons in a certain dovecote were persecuted by a Kite, who every now and then swooped down and carried off one of their number.

A group of pigeons was regularly attacked by a kite that would snatch one of them.

_Sets up the problem that leads the pigeons to seek help._

> So they invited a Hawk into the dovecote to defend them against their enemy.

They asked a hawk to come and protect them from the kite.

_The pigeons' misguided solution to their problem._

> But they soon repented of their folly: for the Hawk killed more of them in a day than the Kite had done in a year.

They quickly regretted their foolish decision because the hawk killed far more pigeons than the kite ever had.

_The ironic and tragic outcome of their choice._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/fables_se/chapters/the-hawk-the-kite-and-the-pigeons
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/fables_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/fables_se/chapters