They are works of a special satirical genre, which was inherited from the era of antiquity. In the times of classicism, fables were considered a “low” genre, and therefore they often contained simple speech, typical of ordinary conversation. The heroes of the fable “Frogs Asking for a Tsar” are the inhabitants of the swamp. But, of course, this is an allegory skillfully used by the author. The work is dated 1809.

Plot

In the analysis of the fable “Frogs Asking for the Tsar,” the student needs to tell about the main characters of the work. It tells of frogs who cry out to the heavens asking for a ruler. And the great Zeus listens to their prayers - gives them a quiet and calm king who does not darken the lives of the inhabitants of the swamp.

But even in this case, the frogs begin to grumble to heaven. After all, this ruler does not demand anything from them. And then the angry ruler of the world sends them another king - one who punished them without trial. Again they turned their prayers to heaven. But this time Zeus did not heed their request. After all, now they have themselves to blame. The stupid frogs didn't appreciate what they had, and now they have to deal with the consequences of their shortsightedness. God answers them that now it is better to remain silent so that something even worse does not happen.

Literary Analysis Plan

Analysis of the fable “Frogs Asking for the Tsar” according to the plan may include the following points:

1. When was the work written, who is the author.
2. Plot.
3. The main characters, their character (in this case, frogs).
4. What vices does the fabulist ridicule? In this work, Krylov writes about the stupidity of frogs, their inability to appreciate what they have.
5. Features of the fable language.

Disadvantages of the main characters

When analyzing the fable “Frogs Asking for a Tsar,” the student can emphasize: the frogs’ claim to the right to have their own opinion is not supported by a willingness to make important decisions on their own. This leads to sad consequences for the inhabitants of the swamp. The fabulist depicted the images of cowardly inhabitants with irony, giving them the appearance of frogs. Their swagger ends very tragically. The work also evokes sadness because such a situation often occurs in reality.

Morality

An analysis of the fable “Frogs Asking for the Tsar” will be incomplete without highlighting the moral aspect. Its reader can find in the words of the god Jupiter, who is sincerely perplexed why the frogs could not live happily when they had all the conditions for this. These words are quite applicable in situations where people had opportunities to improve their situation. However, they did not take advantage of these chances. And after that they complain to others about their misfortunes.

The fabulist writes in an allegorical form about those people who are ready to transfer self-determination into the wrong hands. They don't want to organize their lives. Like stupid frogs, such people want to follow a routine established from the outside. However, such ordinary people are never happy with the current situation. The reason for this may be either a real danger looming over them, or their stupidity and inability to appreciate the good that is available. After all, someone who does not want to take responsibility for their life has the most primitive interests, one of which is the senseless manifestation of arrogance and criticism.

What frogs can't learn

In the analysis of Krylov’s fable “Frogs Asking for the Tsar,” a student can point out that the lesson that the author teaches people is the following: it is stupid to want to dramatically change your life, if you do not take into account the fact that society should change gradually, in accordance with the course stories. And frogs proceed only from their own ideas about what power should be. However, their intelligence is not enough to understand at what pace social relations should develop. For this they receive punishment from heaven.

Analysis of the fable “Frogs Asking for the Tsar”: features of vocabulary

The fable uses a lot of lexical units, giving the work a special imagery. For example, the word “help” means “to provide assistance.” But the phrase “aspen block” symbolizes rudeness and uncouthness. The phrase "black year" refers to a period of time during which one has to face failure and suffering.

Not only will we now analyze the fable “Frogs Asking for the Tsar,” but we will also see what the moral of the fable is. The author of this wonderful work is Ivan Andreevich Krylov. Of course, the work was written two centuries ago, but even today it has not lost its relevance. To make sure of this, first consider the plot of the fable, and it is quite short.

To emphasize the main theme, the author resorts to allegory, that is, the main characters are animals. The inhabitants of the swamps somehow wanted them to have a king. They began to ask Zeus about this, and he, in turn, installed a ruler over them, who turned out to be an aspen log. Although the frogs were afraid of him, very soon they realized that the king was harmless - he did not even reproach them and did not interfere with their lives, allowing everything. However, there was little benefit from such a king. Then the frogs decided that another ruler would be better, and made a corresponding request to Zeus.

To see the moral of the fable "Frogs Asking for a Tsar", let's look at what happened next. Indeed, the first one was replaced by a new king, the Crane, and he turned out to be much more agile, but the Crane ate even innocent frogs, which turned their lives into a real nightmare. Having asked the ruler again, already the third in a row, the frogs were refused.

What is the moral of the fable

The moral of the fable is the most important thing in this kind of work. In other words, after reading a fable, you need to think about what it can teach and how not to repeat mistakes in your life. Here, when we talk about the moral of the fable “Frogs Asking for a Tsar,” it is clear that change does not happen out of nowhere and instantly. Nature is designed in such a way that everything develops systematically and everything has its time. There is no need to rush things and give up what you have now for the sake of the unknown.

For example, if they had waited a little while the king of the frogs was a blockhead, they would have realized that communication with him and his rule could be useful. In fact, it took time to adapt to this ruler and new circumstances. Constantly wanting change, insatiability appears, and a person will never get what he wants, he will always be dissatisfied with something. This can be seen through the analysis of the fable “Frogs Asking for the Tsar.”

Society has always had a serious flaw, and the author of the fable was able to highlight it wonderfully. People constantly want change, they do not accept the existing order, they do not like the current way of life, they strive for a new life. Is this one bad? On the one hand, no. But it’s not the desire for the best itself that’s bad, but the inability to notice the good that exists at the moment. In addition, the fabulist Krylov wanted to clearly express the idea that there is no king who would suit everyone perfectly. It is quite possible that the next king who replaces the previous one will be much worse.

So, the analysis of the work and the moral of the fable “Frogs Asking for the Tsar” are very clear. It's easy to remember the main thing. Read the fable in its entirety, if you have not already done so, to ensure that our conclusion is correct. We recommend reading other articles from our literary

Frogs asking for a king

Frogs asking for a king
The title of the fable (1809) by I. L. Krylov (1768-1844). The Russian fabulist borrowed the plot from the fable of the same name by Jean La Fontaine, who, in turn, took it from the legendary fabulist of ancient Greece Aesop (VI century BC).
The beginning of I. S. Krylov’s fable:
The frogs became uncomfortable
Government is people's
And it seemed to them not at all noble
Without service and in freedom to live.
To help me in grief,
Then they began to ask the gods for the King.
At first, Jupiter sent the Frogs an ordinary elk-log block,” but after three days the Frogs were disappointed in it, since the Tsar was not at all formidable - “he endures everything by his mercy.” And they sent a new “petition” to Olympus,
Let them have Jupiter in their swamp kingdom
He truly gave the Tsar for glory!
I listen to their warm prayers,
Jupiter sent the Crane to their kingdom.
This king is not a blockhead, he is of a completely different character:
He does not like to pamper his people;
He eats the guilty, and at his trial
No one is right;
(...)
From morning to evening their King walks around the kingdom
And everyone he meets,
He will immediately judge and swallow...
Quoted: as an ironic description of those who are waiting for all social problems to be solved by some external force, who are waiting for a “firm hand”, a “good king”.
It can serve partly as an analogue of Nekrasov’s line: When the master comes, the master will judge us.

Encyclopedic Dictionary of winged words and expressions. - M.: “Locked-Press”. Vadim Serov. 2003.

See what “Frogs asking for the king” are in other dictionaries:

- (foreigner) dissatisfied with everyone The king’s frogs were interrogated. Wed. The frogs did not like the rule of the people, and it seemed to them not at all noble to live without service and in freedom. In order to help my grief, they began to ask the gods for a king. Krylov. Frogs asking... ...

Frogs asking for the king (foreign language) are dissatisfied with everything. The king's frogs were interrogated. Wed. The frogs began to dislike the government of the people, and it seemed to them not at all noble to live without service and in freedom. To help my grief, they began...

Ivan Andreevich Krylov Portrait by Ivan Eggink... Wikipedia

- (often in combination with the particle “zhe” or “zh”). 1. adversative conjunction. Used to attach sentences or individual members of a sentence with the meaning of opposition, inconsistency with the previous one or limitation of the previous one;... ... Small academic dictionary

Wed. ...There is no miracle in the light, to which the light would not look closely. Krylov. Frogs asking for the king. See oh my god, oh my god. See your bread is picky...

- (foreign) unfortunate Wed. He will buy up bread, and in a black year he will rip off the beggar threefold. Nekrasov. Vlas. Wed. No one is right: A black year is coming to the inhabitants of the swamps. Krylov. Frogs asking for the king... Michelson's Large Explanatory and Phraseological Dictionary

See Frogs asking for the king... Michelson's Large Explanatory and Phraseological Dictionary (original spelling)

Black year- Outdated. Simple Time, a streak of failures, troubles. A black year is coming for the inhabitants of the swamps. Every day there is a great deficiency in the Frogs (Krylov. Frogs asking for the Tsar) ... Phraseological Dictionary of the Russian Literary Language

Krylov Iv. Andes- KRYLOV Iv. Andes. (1769 1844) fabulist, playwright, prose writer, journalist. The son of an army officer who rose through the ranks of the soldiers. After the death of his father (1778) he entered the service (Kalyazin Zemsky Court, Tver Magistrate, from 1782 St. Petersburg State Chamber, in ... ... Russian humanitarian encyclopedic dictionary

Books

• I. A. Krylov. Fables (audiobook MP3), I. A. Krylov. We present to your attention an audiobook with fables by I. A. Krylov. The collection includes such fables as “The Crow and the Fox,” “The Wolf and the Lamb,” “The Monkey and the Glasses,” “The Dragonfly and the Ant,” “The Rooster and…

Analysis of the fable “Frogs Asking for the Tsar” allows us to emphasize the negative perception of rulers and leaders in society. A work written more than 200 years ago, in certain cases, can serve as an example for some today.

From Aesop to Krylov

Since ancient literature, the fable has occupied a special place. She was able to notice such traits of human character that were always considered vicious and caused negative feelings. The first person to speak about human shortcomings in the language of fables was the wisest ancient Greek poet-philosopher Aesop. The ability not to name a specific person, resorting to allegory, indicated shortcomings that needed to be combated.

Lafontaine became his follower. “Frogs Asking for the Tsar” is a fable from his pen. Allegory allows the authors to make representatives of the animal world the main characters. To understand how this technique works, you need to analyze the fable “Frogs Asking for the Tsar.”

So, what is this piece about? A long time ago, the inhabitants of the swamps wanted a king to lead them. Jupiter heeded their request and sent a huge aspen log to their kingdom. The frogs were afraid of him, but then, having gained courage, they began to act outrageously, despite the high title of their new ruler.

The blockhead did not interfere with anything, did not reproach his subjects for anything. But he never did anything useful for them. This caused discontent throughout the king’s entourage. The frogs wanted an efficient sovereign, and they again turned to Jupiter with such a request.

A snake ascended the throne. Agile and beautiful, she severely punished disobedience. Even innocent frogs became her dinner. The survivors complained to the heavenly lord. Jupiter was surprised, but refused another request from the frogs, promising them to send them a ruler even worse than the previous ones as king.

Zeus's Warning

Not only Lafontaine wrote about dissatisfaction with those in power, Krylov also addresses this topic, “Frogs Asking for the Tsar” - a fable that is also in his collection. By frogs we mean people. For Krylov, the first dumb ruler is still the aspen log, which was replaced by the Crane.

In order to add contrast to the process of government and to more clearly depict the position of the frogs, the authors of the fables choose a snake and a crane as second kings, because both of them love to feast on frogs. A quiet and calm king was given, he was underestimated, he did not want a quiet and calm life, it seemed too boring and uninteresting to the frogs. And the other one turned out to be even worse. It is not without reason that they say: “They do not seek good from good.” “Live with him so that it doesn’t get worse for you!” - Zeus warns the frogs.

The analysis of the fable “Frogs Asking for the Tsar” will help determine what the moral is in this fable. And it’s simple: you can’t change everything at once. It is necessary to take into account that in nature everything has its own development, but it happens gradually. If the frogs were patient, they would adapt to the block of wood and even learn to derive great benefit from communicating with it. The essence of the fable's morality has not lost its relevance.

About rhyme, characters

A fable written by Ivan Andreevich Krylov (“Frogs asking for the Tsar”), in verse. The author has a very clear rhyme: sideways - prone, nearby - backwards, power - glory.

The main drawback that reigns in society and noted by the author is a painful passion for change, an unwillingness to accept the existing situation as it is, a desire to change one’s previous way of life without relying on the past and one’s experience. The frogs “didn’t like popular rule” and “didn’t like living freely and freely.”

The author’s most striking and memorable phrases are: “cracked for the kingdom”, “seemed completely ignoble.”

The main characters of the fable are frogs; they are in constant contact with Zeus and the changing kings. Due to their characteristic character traits, they can be called:

• cowardly;
• obsequious to those who are much higher in status than them.

But as soon as they feel impunity, they immediately demonstrate their disdain for the king by turning their backs on him. Zeus is very attentive to all requests addressed to him.

• The king of the block is sedate, silent, of enormous stature.
• The crane has a different disposition; it does not like to pamper anyone or make concessions to anyone. He has two images. This is a bird that eats frogs. A terrible king who punishes his subjects indiscriminately.

Nationality of the work

In the fable “Frogs Asking for the Tsar,” the moral can be replaced with well-known proverbs: “a bird in the hand is better than a pie in the sky,” “horses don’t hunt for food,” “they don’t seek good from good.”

Krylov always likes to show through laughter and gentle banter what moments are worth thinking about. And there are a great many of them in the fable.

As you know, people take vivid expressions from famous works that they actively use in their everyday speech, thereby making these expressions winged and aphoristic. These phrases decorate the speaker's vocabulary. In addition, colloquial speech brings the work closer to the people. Here are some examples: “to help the grief”, “swallows like flies”, “don’t stick your nose out”, “why - why”.

Krylov's views and their expression in fables

In any case, the phrase spoken by Zeus at the very end of the work makes an indelible impression. It sounds like this: “Live with him so that it doesn’t get worse for you!” Thus, an analysis of the fable “Frogs Asking for the Tsar” allows us to say that this is a very sharp and acute topic in which the author tried to maximally express his negative attitude towards the ruling imperial elite. The fabulist believed that there are no good kings and each subsequent ruler will only get worse. During his creative life, the demon Ivan Andreevich Krylov wrote a lot: “The Frog Asking for the Tsar”, “Wagon Train” and others, in which he, without fear of punishment, boldly shows his attitude towards the Russian tsars.

Thus, the moral of the fable can still be applied today. No matter how good a leader or ruler is, a person always expresses his dissatisfaction with his work and wants something new. And he may turn out to be a fake log or a crane.

Unique designation: frogs asking for the king (Krylov's fable)
Designation: frogs asking for a king
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Text:

Frogs asking for a king

fable

The frogs didn't like it anymore
Government is people's
And it seemed to them not at all noble
Without service and in freedom to live. To help me in grief,
Then they began to ask the gods for the King.
Although the gods would not like to listen to any nonsense.
This time, however, Zeus listened to them:
Gave them a King. The King flies towards them from heaven with noise,
And so tightly it cracked into the kingdom,

That along the way the state became a quagmire:
From all Frog legs
They rushed about in fright,
Who had time, where who could,
And in whispers they marveled at the Tsar in their cells.
And it is true that the Tsar was miraculously given to them:
Not fussy, not a helipad,
Sedate, silent and important;
Portliness, giant stature,
Well, look, it’s a miracle!
There was only one thing bad about the Tsar:
This king was a block of aspen.

First, honoring his person highly,
None of the subjects dares to approach:
They look at him with fear, and then
Stealthily, from afar, through calamus and sedge;
But since there is no miracle in the light,
To which the light would not look closely,
Then they, too, first rested from fear,
Then they dared to crawl up to the King with devotion:
First, face down before the King;
And then, whoever is braver, let him sit sideways to him,
Let me try to sit next to him;
And there, which are still further away,
They sit with their backs towards the Tsar.
The king endures everything out of his mercy.
A little later, you'll see who wants it,
He will jump on him.

In three days I became bored with living with such a Tsar.
Frogs new petition,
Let them have Jupiter in their swamp kingdom
He truly gave the Tsar for glory!
I listen to their warm prayers,
Jupiter sent them to the kingdom of the Crane,
This king is not a blockhead, he has a completely different disposition:
He does not like to pamper his people;
He eats the guilty: and at his trial
No one is right;
But he already has
What? breakfast, what? lunch, what? dinner, then reprisal.
To the inhabitants of the swamps
The black year is coming.
Every day there is a great flaw in the Frogs.
From morning to evening their King walks around the kingdom
And everyone he meets,
He will immediately judge and swallow it.
There’s more croaking and groaning than ever,
May they have Jupiter again
He granted the Tsar a new name;
That their current King swallows them like flies;
That even they can’t (as terrible as it is!)
It is safe to neither stick out your nose nor croak;
That, finally, their King is more sickening to them than droughts.
“Post? Well, you didn’t know how to live happily before?
“Isn’t it for me, crazy people,” a voice told them from the sky, “
Was there no peace for you?
Was it not you who made my ears ring about the Tsar?
Was a King given to you? - so he was too quiet:
You rebelled in your puddle,
Another one was given to you - so this one is very dashing:
Live with him so that things don’t get worse for you!”

I. A. Krylov wrote this fable at a time when Napoleon, close to defeat in Russia, tried to offer peace negotiations to Kutuzov.

Krylov, fable “The Crow and the Hen” - summary

When Kutuzov left Moscow to the destruction of the French, all its residents also gathered from the city, “like a swarm of bees from a hive.” The Chicken, being taken away on one cart, saw a Crow, which was in no hurry to fly away. The chicken asked why she was staying. The crow replied that she is not fried or boiled like chickens, so she hopes to get along with the French - and then, you see, and profit from them with cheese or bones. But Vorona’s hopes did not come true: when the French began to starve in Moscow, she ended up in their soup.

Krylov's moral: a stupid person often thinks that happiness is already close to him - and at that very moment he gets caught like a Crow in soup.

Krylov, fable “The Crow and the Fox” - summary

The moral of this fable: the falsity of flattery has long been known, but flatterers still find a way to deceive many people.

The crow found a piece of cheese somewhere and was going to have breakfast. A cunning Fox ran past. Seeing the delicious cheese, the Fox began to flatteringly praise the Crow’s beauty, and then asked her to sing with her “angelic voice.” The Crow, who believed the praise, croaked at the top of her lungs. The cheese fell out of her beak, and the cunning Fox ran away with it.

Krylov "The Crow and the Fox". Artist E. Rachev

Krylov, fable “Geese” - summary

The man drove the Geese to sell in the city and at the same time mercilessly whipped them with a twig. The geese loudly complained about the man to a passerby, saying that this was not the way to treat birds of a noble family, whose ancestors saved Rome. “And how are you distinguished?” - asked a passerby. The geese could not remember any useful deeds; only their ancestors were famous. This means that “you, friends, are only fit for roast meat,” concluded the passerby.

Krylov, fable “Demyanov’s ear” - summary

Demyan treated his neighbor Foku to his fish soup. Foka had already eaten three plates, but the hospitable Demyan begged him to eat one more. Foka finished it with all his might, but Demyan began to offer him a new plate. No matter how much Foka loved fish soup, he was so desperate that he grabbed his sash and hat and ran home.

Krylov advises writers to learn from this example and not to regale readers with their books too intrusively. Otherwise, prose and poetry “will be sicker than Demyan’s fish soup.”

Krylov, fable “Mirror and Monkey” - summary

The Monkey, seeing himself in the Mirror, asked the Bear: what kind of face is there? “What antics and jumps she has! I would hang myself with melancholy if I looked even a little like her.” Not recognizing himself, the Monkey, however, believed that some of his gossips were very reminiscent of the ugly face in the Mirror. “Why should godmothers work hard? Isn’t it better to work for yourself, godfather?” – the Bear answered her.

Krylov, fable “Quartet” - summary

Monkey, Donkey, Goat and Bear decided to play a violin quartet. Having got hold of the instruments, they “struck the bows, they beat, but there was no use.” The animals decided: the reason was that they were not seated correctly. Several times the members of the quartet were seated in a new way, but their music did not improve from this. “No matter how you sit down, friends, you are still not fit to be musicians,” the Nightingale flying past told them.

Krylov "Quartet". Artist E. Rachev

Krylov, fable “The Slanderer and the Snake” - summary

In Hell, the Snake and the Slanderer argued which of the two was more harmful and evil. Hearing the argument, Beelzebub gave primacy to the Slanderer, because the Snake bites only close, and one cannot escape from the tongue of the Slanderer either beyond the mountains or across the seas.

Krylov, fable “The Mosquito and the Shepherd” - summary

A poisonous snake began to crawl towards the Shepherd who had fallen asleep in the shadows. Taking pity on the Shepherd, the Mosquito bit him with all his might. The shepherd, waking up, killed the snake, but before that he also swatted the savior, the Mosquito.

“If the strong, even motivated by good, try to open their eyes to the truth, then expect the same thing to happen to him as to Komar,” writes Krylov.

Krylov, fable “The Cat and the Cook” - summary

The cook left the kitchen to go to the tavern, and when he returned, he saw that his Cat Vaska had stolen a chicken and was eating it, purring. The cook began to reproach Vaska, telling him that stealing was wrong, that all the neighbors would now call him a cheat. But while the Cook was lecturing, the Cat listened and ate - and devoured all the roast.

As a moral, Krylov advises “not to waste speeches where power needs to be used.”

Krylov, fable “Peasants and the River” - summary

Small rivulets and streams often flooded the fields of peasants, carrying away their livestock and property. The Big River, into which the streams flowed, seemed to flow sedately and peacefully, harming no one. The peasants decided to complain to the River about the streams so that she, as the mistress, would calm them down. But as they approached the river closer, they saw that half of their lost property was being carried along it. The peasants went back, saying among themselves: “You won’t find government for the younger ones where they are divided in half with the older ones.”

Krylov, fable “The Peasant and the Worker” - summary

Moral of the fable: in trouble, we usually look for a deliverer with prayer, “but as soon as we get the trouble off our shoulders, then the deliverer often feels bad from us.”

A peasant and his farmhand walked to the village in the evening and met a bear. The bear crushed the Peasant under him and almost crushed him. The peasant prayed to the Worker for help. The worker, gathering his strength, “took half the skull to the bear with an ax and pierced its belly with an iron fork.” But the Peasant, who got up from the ground, immediately began to scold the Worker for ruining the bear’s skin with a pitchfork.

Krylov, fable “The Peasant and the Robber” - summary

A peasant who had bought a milkbox and a cow at the fair was walking home through the forest. In the forest he was attacked by a Robber and robbed. The peasant began to cry, saying that he had been collecting money for a cow for a whole year. The robber, who became pitiful, remembered that he still would not milk the cow himself - and gave the milkbox to the Peasant.

Krylov, fable “The Cuckoo and the Rooster” - summary

The cuckoo admired the loud and important crowing of the rooster, and he admired its smooth and drawn-out cuckooing. They lavished mutual praise for a long time, comparing each other to a nightingale and a bird of paradise, until a Sparrow flying past laughed at their “music.”

“Why, without fear of sin, does the Cuckoo praise the Rooster? Because he praises the Cuckoo.”

Krylov, fable “Larchik” - summary

Moral of the story: don’t see complexity where in fact everything is simple.

Someone was brought a beautiful casket from a master. Everyone admired him. A mechanical specialist also came to look at it, who, due to the complexity of his craft, began to suspect that the casket had a sophisticated lock with a secret. The mechanic undertook to unravel the non-existent secret. He turned the casket in his hands for a long time, pressed first a nail, then a staple, sweating, but he still couldn’t cope with the task. And the casket opened simply, without any secrets.

“When there is no agreement among the comrades, their business will not go well.” One day Swan, Cancer and Pike began to carry a cart with luggage and harnessed themselves to it. But “The Swan rushes into the clouds, the Cancer moves back, and the Pike pulls into the water.” Even though they are all trying their best, “the cart is still there.”

Krylov "Pig under the oak tree". Artist E. Rachev

Krylov, fable “Tit” - summary

The titmouse boasted that he could burn the sea. A terrible commotion arose in the depths of the sea. Birds began to flock to the ocean shore, animals from the forests and gourmet people - lovers of sipping rich fish soup - came running. Everyone was looking forward to an unprecedented spectacle, but the tit of the sea could not light up and flew away in shame.

Moral of the fable: “there is no need to boast about a job without finishing it.”

Krylov, fable “Elephant and Moska” - summary

An Elephant was paraded through the streets for show to the people. The little dog Moska began to bark and rush at the huge beast. A familiar mongrel began to calm Moska down, saying that the Elephant didn’t even pay attention to her. “The good thing is that I can get into big bullies without a fight! - answered Moska. “Let everyone say that I am strong because I bark at an elephant!”

Krylov, fable “Elephant in the Voivodeship” - summary

Moral of the story: if someone is not smart, then it is bad, even if he is strong and kind.

In the forest, they put an Elephant in charge of the province, who was so kind that he wouldn’t hurt a fly - but at the same time he was very narrow-minded. Soon the sheep complained to him that the wolves were mercilessly killing them. The elephant commander called the wolves to him, but they reminded him that he himself allowed them to collect a light rent from the sheep for winter sheepskin coats. “We’ll just take a skin from each sheep,” said the wolves. “On the skin, so be it, take it,” the stupid Elephant allowed. “Don’t touch them with a hair again.”

Krylov, fable “Dog Friendship” - summary

Two dogs who lived next door, Polkan and Barbos, squabbled with each other for a long time, but then decided to make peace and start a cordial friendship. They began to shake each other's paws, hug and kiss. But then, unfortunately, the cook from the kitchen threw a bone. Two new friends rushed towards her and fought so hard over a bone that they were forcibly splashed with water.

And among people, many friends are like that, Krylov notes. “Just throw them a bone, so your dogs.”

The mice, deciding to become famous and make everyone talk about themselves, decided to convene a large Council. Only those mice whose tail was at least as long as their height were invited to attend. Short-tailed animals were neglected. The council met, but a completely tailless rat was immediately noticed. The young mouse began to ask how she was allowed into the council, but the old mouse told him to remain silent, explaining that this rat was her godfather.

Krylov, fable “The Dragonfly and the Ant” - summary

The jumping Dragonfly, without working, sang throughout the red summer, when “under each leaf a table and a house were ready.” But summer is over. A cold and hungry winter has begun. Having not prepared either food or shelter for herself, the Dragonfly decided to follow them to the hardworking Ant. The Ant asked what the Dragonfly did in the summer? “I sang,” she answered. “Have you been singing everything? this business. So go and dance,” answered the Ant.

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• / Krylov, Fables - summary

Russian Historical Library 2018

This article contains summaries of 47 of the most famous fables by Ivan Andreevich Krylov

Krylov, fable “The Wolf and the Lamb” - summary

Moral of the story: “The powerful are always to blame for the powerless.”

On a hot day, a lamb went to a stream to drink. A hungry Wolf ran past, who decided to kill and eat the Lamb, but “to give the matter a legitimate look and feel.” Running up to the Lamb, he first began to say that he was muddying his clean drink with his unclean snout. The Lamb made an excuse that he was drinking a hundred steps below the Wolf’s watering hole. The Wolf, not embarrassed, immediately accused the Lamb of being rude to him “last summer.” But it turned out that the Lamb was not even a year old. Then, without listening to further excuses, the Wolf growled: “It’s your fault that I want to eat” - and dragged the Lamb into the dark forest.

Krylov "Wolf and Lamb". Artist E. Rachev

Krylov, fable “The Wolf in the Kennel” - summary

The wolf, thinking at night to get into the sheepfold with the sheep, ended up in the kennel, among the hunting dogs. The dogs began to bark and the hounds came running. Driven into a corner, the Wolf, out of cunning, started negotiations: he offered his friendship, promised not to touch the local herds anymore. “You are gray, and I, my friend, am gray,” the hunter interrupted him. “And I’ve known your wolfish nature for a long time.” I make peace with wolves only by skinning them.” And then he released a pack of hounds at the Wolf.

Krylov "Larchik". Illustration for the fable

Krylov, fable “Swan, Pike and Cancer” - summary

“When there is no agreement among the comrades, their business will not go well.” One day Swan, Cancer and Pike began to carry a cart with luggage and harnessed themselves to it. But “The Swan rushes into the clouds, the Cancer moves back, and the Pike pulls into the water.” Even though they are all trying their best, “the cart is still there.” (See the full text of the fable.)

Krylov "Swan, Pike and Cancer"

Krylov, fable “Lion on the hunt” - summary

The Dog, Lion, Wolf and Fox agreed to divide among themselves equally all the prey that each of them caught. The Fox was the first to catch the deer. Three of her comrades agreed on a division. The lion tore the deer into four, took the first part for himself “according to the agreement”, the second - also for himself, “like a lion”, the third - because he is the strongest of the four, and about the fourth he warned: “whoever of you stretches out his paw to it will he won’t get up from his spot alive.”

Krylov, fable “Liar” - summary

A lover of lies, “returning from distant travels,” told an acquaintance about the wonders of overseas countries. He insisted that there was no night abroad, but in Rome there was a cucumber the size of a mountain. The liar's interlocutor noted that there are many miracles in Russia. For example, the bridge they are now approaching is special: not a single liar can cross the river on it - he will definitely fall into the water. The deceiver who arrived from abroad immediately began to say that the Roman cucumber is perhaps not the size of a mountain, but the size of a house, and that houses in Italy are very small. Approaching even closer to the river, the liar suggested to his friend not to go to the bridge, but rather to look for a ford.

Krylov, fable “The Fox and the Grapes” - summary

The hungry Fox climbed into the grape garden, but could not get a single juicy brush: they all hung too high. Having spent an hour in vain, the Fox walked away, saying that the grapes were sour and unripe - they could only set one’s teeth on edge.

Krylov, fable “The Fox and the Marmot” - summary

The Woodchuck met the Fox, who complained to him that she had been unfairly deprived of her position in the chicken coop for bribes. Lamenting, the Fox told how, among the chickens, she didn’t get enough sleep at night and didn’t have enough to eat, but still became a victim of slander. “No, gossip, I have often seen that your snout is covered in fluff,” replied the Marmot.

So, says Krylov, even among officials many swear that they are honest, do not steal and live out their last ruble, “but you look, little by little, he will build a house, then he will buy a village.”

Krylov, fable “Leaves and Roots” - summary

On a beautiful summer day, the lush leaves of one tree were boasted of their beauty and density, the fact that they provide shade for shepherds to rest and attract dancers and singers under their canopy. “We might as well say thank you here,” a voice suddenly rang out from underground. The sheets asked who dared to object so arrogantly. “We are the roots of the tree that nourish you,” was the answer. “Show off, but remember that you are renewed every spring, and if the root dries up, then neither the tree nor you will exist.”

Krylov, fable “The Curious” - summary

One Curious One visited the Kunstkamera (exhibition of curiosities) and told a friend that he saw there tiny bugs and boogers smaller than the head of a pin. “What is an elephant like? - asked a friend. “After all, he’s there too.” “I didn’t even notice the elephant,” Curious threw up his hands.

Krylov, fable “The Frog and the Ox” - summary

The frog, seeing a huge Ox in the meadow, wanted to match his size. She began to puff and swell with all her might - until she burst.

Moral of the story: among ordinary people, many want to be like noble nobles and live like them - but they try in vain.

Krylov, fable “Frogs asking for the Tsar” - summary

The frogs in the swamp were tired of democracy, and they began to ask Zeus for a king. The Supreme God responded: the Monarch, a large aspen block, fell from the sky into the swamp. Since the log was large, the frogs initially hid in fear, but then, becoming bolder, they began to crawl towards it. Those who were far away began to jump very close to the “king”, some even sat astride him, but he just remained silent. Having quickly become bored with such a king, the frogs began to ask Zeus for another. He sent the Crane to the swamp. This sovereign did not spoil his subjects. His right-wingers were not present at the trial. Declaring everyone guilty, the Crane immediately ate everyone. Such a king turned out to be much worse for the frogs than the first. They again began to ask for something new. But Zeus said that since neither his first nor second choice pleased him with frogs, let them live with the king who is.

Krylov, fable “The Monkey and the Glasses” - summary

The monkey began to see poorly as he grew older. Having heard from people that Glasses could help with this, she got herself half a dozen of them. But the Monkey did not know how to use the Glasses: she either pressed them to the crown of the head, then hung them on her tail, then sniffed them, then licked them - and without achieving any sense, spitting on people’s lies, she broke the Glasses on a stone.

So, the ignorant, says Krylov, not knowing the value of a useful thing, degrade it, and the ignorant, more knowledgeable, drive away this thing.

Krylov “The Monkey and the Glasses”

Krylov, fable “Sea of ​​Animals” - summary

The kingdom of animals was subjected to a terrible pestilence. Leo, having called all the forest and steppe inhabitants, proposed to try to stop the pestilence by making a sacrifice to the gods. This victim was to be the most sinful of animals. Leo himself immediately confessed his sins: he often innocently tore sheep, and sometimes even shepherds. The Fox who ran out said that this is not a big sin at all: the sheep are even honored that they are eaten by the king of beasts himself, and the shepherds are the common enemies of all predators. Other strong animals - Bear, Tiger and Wolf - also repented of grave sins, but looking at their claws and teeth, those gathered admitted that they had no serious offenses. But when the peaceful herbivore Ox admitted that once during a famine he had stolen a piece of hay from the priest, the meeting of animals began to roar with indignation. The ox was doomed to be sacrificed and thrown onto the fire.

Krylov, fable “Musicians” - summary

One neighbor, who highly praised his singers, invited another to come over and listen to them. The musicians started bawling loudly, but without any harmony or order - “some are going to the forest, some are looking for firewood.” A neighbor-listener noticed that “the choir is bawling nonsense.” “You’re right,” the person who invited him answered. “But all my musicians don’t take anything drunk.”

“For me, it’s better to drink, but understand the matter,” Krylov draws the moral.

Krylov, fable “Oboz” - summary

A convoy with pots was descending a steep mountain. Harnessed to the first cart, the good horse began to slowly lower the load of pots down the steep slope. The young horse walking behind began to scold the good horse: he, they say, walks too carefully, and at the same time sometimes catches the cart on the stones. But when it was the horse’s turn to go down with his cart, he could not withstand the pressure of the load, began to throw himself sideways, fell into a ditch and broke all the pots.

And in people, says Krylov, there is often a noticeable weakness in exposing other people’s mistakes. And as soon as you get down to business, you will “punish twice as bad.”

Krylov, fable “The Donkey and the Nightingale” - summary

Having heard that the nightingale is a great master of singing, the donkey asked him to show him his art. The nightingale burst into a wonderful trill, which people and nature listened to. The donkey restrainedly praised the nightingale and advised him, in order to “get more sharp” in singing, to learn from the yard rooster.

“God, deliver us from such judges,” is Krylov’s moral.

Krylov, fable “Parnassus” - summary

When the pagan gods were driven out of Greece, donkeys began to graze on Mount Parnassus, where the muses (nine goddesses of the arts) had previously lived. Having learned that the muses used to sing beautiful songs on Parnassus, the donkeys decided to imitate them. The herd of donkeys began to roar at the top of their lungs, “as if a wagon train with thousands of unoiled wheels had started moving.” The owner came running and hurried to drive the donkeys back into the barn.

Krylov’s moral: “if the head is empty, then the head of the mind will not be given space.”

Krylov, fable “The Hermit and the Bear” - summary

Moral of the story: it’s good when one tries to serve the other. But if a fool gets down to business, then his services are often more dangerous than the enemy’s machinations.

A hermit who lived in the desert suffered from loneliness. To make a friend, he went into the forest and met the Bear there. The Hermit and the Bear became inseparable. One day they wandered together all day. The hermit was tired and went to bed. The kind, but simple-minded Bear, watching over his comrade's sleep, began to drive away with his paw a fly that had landed on him. She was so persistent that the Bear decided to kill her. Taking a huge cobblestone, he hit the fly that landed on the Hermit’s forehead - and cracked his friend’s skull.

Krylov, fable “The Rooster and the Grain of Pearls” - summary

The rooster, who found a pearl grain in a dung heap, decided that this was a completely empty thing, much more useless than a nourishing barley grain.

Moral of the fable: “The ignorant judge exactly this way: whatever they don’t understand is of no use to them.”

Krylov, fable “The Picky Bride” - summary

The girl-bride was looking for a groom, but was too picky. At first, noble and eminent people wooed her, but she found shortcomings in everyone: one without ranks, another without orders, the third had a wide nose... After two years, there were already fewer suitors - and people of “middle class” began to woo. The picky bride was in no hurry to reciprocate their feelings. As time went. The bride has already become a “mature maiden.” Her beauty has faded. The grooms almost stopped wooing - and the bride “was already glad that she married a cripple.”

Krylov, fable “Pig” - summary

The pig, having climbed into the manor's yard, according to its custom, rolled there in the slops and returned home up to its ears dirty. The shepherd asked what wonders she had seen among the rich, where, they say, everything was full of beads and pearls. The pig replied that she did not notice the wealth, saw only manure and rubbish, and dug up the entire back yard with her snout.

Krylov compares with this pig a mediocre literary critic, who “no matter what he examines, has the gift of seeing only bad things.”

Krylov, fable “The Pig under the Oak” - summary

The pig ate acorns under the Oak, slept and began to undermine the roots of the tree with its snout. “This could cause the tree to dry up,” a raven sitting on a branch told her. “Let it be,” answered the Pig. “It’s of no use to me, if only it were acorns.” “If you lifted your snout up, you would see that acorns are growing on me,” said Oak.

So the ignoramus, notes Krylov, scolds science and learning, without feeling that he is tasting their fruits.

Krylov "Dragonfly and Ant". Artist O. Voronova

Krylov, fable “Trishkin caftan” - summary

Trishka’s caftan was torn at the elbows. Without thinking twice, he cut off the sleeves and sewed up the hole. However, now everyone was laughing at the short sleeves of Trishkin’s caftan. “Well, I’m not a fool and I’ll fix that problem,” said Trishka. He cut off the tails and skirts, adjusted the sleeves, but his caftan was now shorter than his camisole.

So some gentlemen, having confused matters, correct them in the manner of Trishkin’s caftan, writes Krylov.

Krylov, fable “Cloud” - summary

A large cloud swept over the region exhausted from the heat, but then it rained heavily over the sea - and boasted of this generosity before the Mountain. “There is enough water in the sea without you,” answered the Mountain. “And then you could save the whole region from hunger.”

Krylov, fable “Fortune and the Beggar” - summary

The poor beggar, looking at the rich, was surprised at their greed. Many made huge fortunes, but in order to double them further, they embarked on risky transactions - and in the end lost everything. The goddess of fortune Fortuna, taking pity on the Beggar, appeared to him and offered help. Fortune promised that she would pour as much gold into the Beggar’s old bag as it could bear, but with a condition: if the Beggar himself did not stop this flow in time, and the gold with its weight broke through the bottom, then, having poured out onto the ground, it would turn to dust. Fortune began to pour gold into the bag. Due to its dilapidation, it soon began to crack, but the Beggar, who had previously condemned the rich, now, out of greed, did not stop the golden rain until the bottom of the bag broke through and the spilled gold turned to dust.

Krylov, fable “Siskin and Dove” - summary

Chizh fell into a trap. Young Dove began to laugh at him, saying that he wouldn’t have been tricked like that, but then he himself got caught in the snare. “Don’t laugh at someone else’s misfortune, Dove,” concludes Krylov.

Krylov, fable “Pike and Cat” - summary

“It’s a disaster if a shoemaker starts baking pies, and a cake maker starts making boots.” No one should take on someone else's craft. One day, Pike, who was good at catching ruffes, began to ask the Cat to take her with him on a mouse hunt. The cat tried to dissuade her, but Pike was stubborn, and the two of them went to the barn. The cat caught a lot of mice there, but the pike lay without water, its tail, barely alive, was eaten off by rats. The cat with difficulty dragged the half-dead Pike back into the pond.

About the fable

Fable by Ivan Krylov “Frogs asking for the Tsar”

All the work (if we take fables) of the famous publicist and fabulist Ivan Andreevich Krylov can be divided into two categories: fables with an original plot, that is, invented by the author himself, and fables borrowed from the predecessors of the genre - Aesop or La Fontaine. The fable “Frogs Asking for a Tsar” falls into the latter category. The Russian writer created the fable under the impression of reading La Fontaine’s work “Les grenouilles qui demandent un roi” (“The Frogs Who Asked for the King”). However, the French fabulist La Fontaine himself was not original, having borrowed the plot outline from Aesop. Isn't this an example of the fact that the vices of society do not know time and nationality?

It is unknown when exactly Krylov wrote this fable, but the reader first became acquainted with it in 1809 from the collection “Fables,” which has since gone through many reprints and is still published, intended for the younger generation.

So, what does the fable tell us?

One day, the inhabitants of the swamp, the frogs, wanted to be ruled by a king. They began to ask the god Jupiter to give them a ruler. He heeded the requests and sent down a large aspen block to the frogs. At first the heroines were afraid of the “king”, and then, having gained courage, they began to jump all over him. The frogs did not like such a silent and uninitiative king - they began to demand something else from Jupiter.

Said and done, the Crane appeared in the swamp as a king. This ruler was active, held trials, but in those trials there were no right people - only the guilty, whom the Crane Tsar immediately ate. Every day the frogs have a “great disadvantage.” Again the restless frogs began to ask Jupiter for the king, but this time God became angry. Jupiter answered loudly that let the frogs live with the king he sent them, since they did not like the previous idol king. And at the end he also threatened that if they ask for a new king, he will send them a master even worse than the gluttonous Crane.

Subtext of the fable

A fascinating work with animal characters actually hides quite serious issues regarding social order. The frogs themselves did not want to live - give them a king, but a peaceful, quiet king did not suit them either. And having received the Crane as king, they began to shout and lament.

“They don’t seek good from goodness,” Krylov once again confirms to us the wise proverb. It is very important to appreciate the good things that happen in our lives. Sometimes the dignity of a person, a ruler, a situation, etc. you can appreciate having lost it. How can we not remember another saying: “what we have we don’t keep, when we lose it, we cry.”

On the other hand, Ivan Krylov also raises the issue of passion for change. Was life bad for the frogs under “people's rule”? Obeying a blind, thoughtless desire, they wanted change, without thinking in advance how this could turn out for them. Wouldn't it be worse? And it just got worse. First, a nominal ruler who did nothing, and then a cruel tyrant who destroys the swamp inhabitants.

Vivid, clear images of the characters make the fable fascinating to read for children, and the moral embedded in the content is intended more for adults.

This fable has been filmed more than once through the means of animation. Based on its semantic content, it is often called “folk” - for the large number of folk proverbs and sayings embedded in it. This also applies to the fable style. You can notice the deliberately popular speech: “I’m sorry to help,” “Well,” and so on.

Today, the fable, written more than 200 years ago, rings especially poignantly. Political history and modern times prove that no matter how they live under a ruler, good or bad, the people always want another “king.” At the same time, rarely does anyone think that maybe the new government will be a crane...

Frogs asking for a king

The frogs didn't like it anymore
Government is people's
And it seemed to them not at all noble
Without service and in freedom to live.
To help me in grief,
Then they began to ask the gods for the King.
Although the gods would not like to listen to any nonsense.
This time, however, Zeus listened to them:
Gave them a King. The King flies towards them from heaven with noise,
And so tightly it cracked into the kingdom,
That along the way the state became a quagmire:
From all Frog legs
They rushed about in fright,
Who had time, where who could,
And in whispers they marveled at the Tsar in their cells.
And it is true that the Tsar was miraculously given to them:
Not fussy, not a helipad,
Sedate, silent and important;
Portliness, giant stature,
Well, look, it’s a miracle!
There was only one thing bad about the Tsar:
This king was a block of aspen.
First, honoring his person highly,
None of the subjects dares to approach:
They look at him with fear, and then
Stealthily, from afar, through calamus and sedge;
But since there is no miracle in the light,
To which the light would not look closely,
Then they, too, first rested from fear,
Then they dared to crawl up to the King with devotion:
First, face down before the Tsar;
And then, whoever is braver, let him sit sideways to him,
Let me try to sit next to him;
And there, who are still further away,
They sit with their backs towards the Tsar.
The king endures everything out of his mercy.
A little later, you'll see who wants it,
He will jump on him.
In three days I became bored with living with such a Tsar.
Frogs new petition,
Let them have Jupiter in their swamp kingdom
He truly gave the Tsar for glory!
I listen to their warm prayers,
Jupiter sent them to the kingdom of the Crane,
This king is not a blockhead, he has a completely different disposition:
He does not like to pamper his people;
He eats the guilty: and at his trial
No one is right;
But he already has
Whether it's breakfast, lunch or dinner, there's punishment.
To the inhabitants of the swamps
The black year is coming.
Every day there is a great flaw in the Frogs.
From morning to evening their King walks around the kingdom
And everyone he meets,
He will immediately judge and swallow it.
There’s more croaking and groaning than ever,
May they have Jupiter again
He granted the Tsar a new name;
That their current King swallows them like flies;
That even they can’t (as terrible as it is!)
It is safe to neither stick out your nose nor croak;
That, finally, their King is more sickening to them than droughts.
“Why didn’t you know how to live happily before?
“Isn’t it for me, crazy people,” a voice told them from the sky, “
Was there no peace for you?
Was it not you who made my ears ring about the Tsar?
Was a King given to you? - so he was too quiet:
You rebelled in your puddle,
Another one was given to you - so this one is very dashing:
Live with him so that things don’t get worse for you!”

There were three famous writers of tragedies in Athens: the eldest - Aeschylus, the middle - Sophocles and the youngest - Euripides. Aeschylus was powerful and majestic, Sophocles was clear and harmonious, Euripides was intense and paradoxical. Having watched it once, the Athenian audience could not forget for a long time how his Phaedra was tormented by passion for her stepson, and his Medea and the choir stood up for women's rights. The old people watched and cursed, and the young people admired.

Aeschylus died a long time ago, in the middle of the century, and Sophocles and Euripides died half a century later, in 406, almost simultaneously. Disputes immediately began between the amateurs: which of the three was better? And in response to such disputes, the playwright Aristophanes staged the comedy “Frogs” about this.

“Frogs” - this means that the choir in the comedy is dressed as frogs and begins their songs with croaking lines: “Brakekekex, koaks, koaks! / Brekekekex, coax, coax! / We are children of the swamp waters, / We will sing out a hymn, a friendly choir, / A drawn-out groan, our sonorous song!”

But these frogs are not ordinary ones: they live and croak not just anywhere, but in the hellish river Acheron, through which the old shaggy boatman Charon transports the dead to the next world. There are reasons why this comedy needed that light, Acheron and frogs.

The theater in Athens was under the patronage of Dionysus, the god of wine and earthly vegetation; Dionysus was depicted (at least sometimes) as a beardless, gentle youth. This Dionysus, worried about the fate of his theater, thought: “I’ll go down to the afterlife and bring Euripides back into the light so that the Athenian stage is not completely empty!” But how to get to the next world? Dionysus asks Hercules about this - after all, Hercules, the hero in the lion's skin, went down there for the terrible three-headed hellish dog Kerberus. “Easier than anything,” says Hercules, “hang yourself, poison yourself, or throw yourself off the wall.” - “Too stuffy, too tasteless, too cool; Show me how you walked." - “The afterlife boatman Charon will transport you across the stage, and there you will find yourself.” But Dionysus is not alone, with him is a slave with luggage; Is it possible to send it with a travel companion? The funeral procession is just underway. “Hey, dead man, take our bundle with you!” The deceased readily rises on the stretcher: “Will you give me two drachmas?” - “Nothing!” - “Hey, gravediggers, carry me further!” - “Well, throw off at least half a drachma!” The dead man is indignant: “So that I can come to life again!” There is nothing to do, Dionysus and Charon are rowing dry land across the stage, and a slave with luggage is running around. Dionysus is unaccustomed to rowing, groans and curses, and a chorus of frogs mocks him: “Brakekekex, koaks, koaks!” They meet at the other end of the stage, exchange impressions from beyond the grave: “Have you seen the sinners here, and thieves, and false witnesses, and bribe-takers?” “Of course, I saw it, and I see it now,” and the actor points to the rows of spectators. The audience laughs.

Here is the palace of the underground king Hades, Eak sits at the gate. In myths he is a majestic judge of human sins, but here he is a noisy slave-gatekeeper. Dionysus puts on his lion skin and knocks. "Who's there?" - “Hercules has come again!” - “Oh, villain, oh, villain, it was you who stole Kerber, my dear dog, from me just now! Wait, I’ll unleash all the monsters of hell on you!” Aeacus leaves, Dionysus is horrified; gives the slave Hercules' skin and puts on his dress himself. They approach the gate again, and there is a maid of the underground queen: “Hercules, our dear, the hostess remembers you so much, she has prepared such a treat for you, come to us!” The slave is a little boy, but Dionysus grabs him by the cloak, and they, quarreling, change clothes again. Eak returns with the hellish guards and cannot completely understand who is the master here and who is the slave. They decide: he will whip them one by one with rods - whoever screams first is, therefore, not a god, but a slave. Beats. "Oh oh!" - “Aha!” - “No, I thought: when will the war end?” - "Oh oh!" - “Aha!” - “No, it’s a thorn in my heel... Oh-oh!... No, I remembered bad poems... Oh-oh!... No, I quoted Euripides.” - “I can’t figure it out, let God Hades figure it out himself.” And Dionysus and the slave enter the palace.

It turns out that in the next world there are also competitions of poets, and until now Aeschylus was considered the best, and now the newly deceased Euripides is challenging this fame. Now there will be a trial, and Dionysus will be the judge; Now they will “measure poetry with their elbows and weigh them with weights.” True, Aeschylus is dissatisfied: “My poetry did not die with me, but Euripides’ poetry died at his fingertips.” But they calm him down: the trial begins. There is already a new chorus around those suing - the croaking frogs remained far away in Acheron. The new choir is the souls of the righteous: at this time the Greeks believed that those who led a righteous life and accepted initiation into the mysteries of Demeter, Persephone and Iacchus would not be insensitive, but blessed in the next world. Iacchus is one of the names of Dionysus himself, so such a chorus is quite appropriate here.

Euripides accuses Aeschylus: “Your plays are boring: the hero stands and the choir sings, the hero says two or three words, and that’s the end of the play. Your words are old, cumbersome, incomprehensible. But everything is clear to me, everything is like in life, both people, thoughts, and words.” Aeschylus objects: “The poet must teach goodness and truth. Homer is famous because he shows everyone examples of valor, but what example can your depraved heroines set? High thoughts also deserve high language, and the subtle speeches of your heroes can only teach citizens not to obey their bosses.”

Aeschylus reads his poems - Euripides finds fault with every word: “Here you have Orestes over his father’s grave, begging him to “hear, heed...”, but “to hear” and “to heed” is repetition!” (“You’re an eccentric,” Dionysus reassures him, “Orestes is addressing the dead, but here, no matter how much you repeat, you won’t get through!”) Euripides reads his poems - Aeschylus finds fault with every line: “All your dramas begin with genealogies: “Hero Pelops , who was my great-grandfather...", "Hercules who...", "That Cadmus who...", "That Zeus who...". Dionysus separates them: let them speak one line at a time, and he, Dionysus, with scales in his hands, will judge which weight is greater. Euripides pronounces a clumsy and cumbersome verse: “Oh, if only the rook would stop its running...”; Aeschylus - smooth and euphonious: “A river stream flowing through the meadows...” Dionysus suddenly shouts: “Aeschylus has it harder!” - "But why?" - “With his flow, he spoiled the poems, so they last longer.”

Finally the poems are put aside. Dionysus asks the poets for their opinion on political affairs in Athens and again throws up his hands: “One answered wisely, and the other wiser.” Which of the two is better, who to bring out of the underworld? "Aeschylus!" - Dionysus announces. “And he promised me!” - Euripides is indignant. “It was not I who promised,” Dionysus replies with the same verse from Euripides (from “Hippolytus”). “Guilty and not ashamed?” “There is no guilt where no one sees,” Dionysus answers with another quote. “Are you laughing at me when I’m dead?” - “Who knows, life and death are not the same thing?” - Dionysus answers with the third quotation, and Euripides falls silent.

Dionysus and Aeschylus are getting ready to set off on their journey, and the underground god bids them farewell: “Tell such-and-such a politician, and such-and-such a world-eater, and such-and-such a poet, that it is high time for them to come to me...” The choir sees off Aeschylus with a doxology to both the poet and To Athens: so that they can quickly win and get rid of such and such politicians, and from such and such world-eaters, and from such and such poets.

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