Aesop's Fables · Chapter
The Ass and His Masters explained
An Ass, discontented with his hard life under a Gardener, begs Jupiter for a new master.
What happens
An Ass, discontented with his hard life under a Gardener, begs Jupiter for a new master. Jupiter grants his wish, selling him to a Potter, but the Ass finds the work even harder. He begs again and is sold to a Tanner, whereupon he realizes his fate will be even worse, lamenting that he should have been content with his earlier masters. The fable teaches that servants often do not appreciate a good master until they have experienced a worse one.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Falling action.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
The emotional and psychological peak occurs when the victor Cock, swollen with pride after his triumph, is sud…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Wisdom and Foolishness
The Ass's repeated requests for change without foresight demonstrate foolishness, as he fails to appreciate his current situation until it is too late.
- Perseverance and Effort
The Ass's inability to endure hardship and his constant seeking of an easier master highlight the theme of perseverance versus the desire for escape.
Characters to notice
- The Ass
The Ass is discontented with his hard labor under the Gardener, then the Potter, and finally despairs when sold to the Tanner, realizing his mistake in seeking change.
- Jupiter
Jupiter responds to the Ass's pleas by arranging his sale to new masters, first a Potter and then a Tanner.
- Mercury
Mercury is sent by Jupiter to instruct the Gardener to sell the Ass to a Potter.
Key passages
“Why wasn’t I content to serve either of my former masters, hard as I had to work and badly as I was treated? for they would have buried me decently, but now I shall come in the end to the tanning-vat.”
The Ass regrets not appreciating his earlier masters, realizing that despite the harsh treatment, they would have given him a proper burial, whereas now he will end up in the tanning vat.
This lament encapsulates the moral of the fable: the grass is not always greener, and one should value what they have before it is too late.
“Servants don’t know a good master till they have served a worse.”
People often fail to recognize a good situation until they experience a worse one.
The explicit moral of the fable, emphasizing the theme of wisdom and foolishness.
