Aesop's Fables · Chapter
The Traveller and Fortune explained
A weary traveller falls asleep at the edge of a deep well, narrowly avoiding disaster when Dame Fortune appears to warn him.
What happens
A weary traveller falls asleep at the edge of a deep well, narrowly avoiding disaster when Dame Fortune appears to warn him. She points out that if he had fallen, he would have blamed Fortune rather than his own foolishness.
Themes in this chapter
Wisdom and Foolishness
The traveller's careless sleep at the well's edge exemplifies foolishness, while Fortune's intervention highlights the wisdom of taking responsibility for one's own actions.
Human Nature and Vice
Fortune's remark reveals the human tendency to blame external forces like luck rather than acknowledging personal folly.
Characters to notice
- Fortune
Appears as Dame Fortune to warn the traveller of his peril.
Key passages
“Wake up, good sir, I pray you; had you fallen into the well, the blame would have been thrown not on your own folly but on me, Fortune.”
Please wake up; if you had fallen, you would have blamed me, Fortune, instead of your own foolishness.
Fortune warns the traveller and critiques the human habit of shifting blame.