FABLE XLVII
by John Gay · from Fables of John Gay (Somewhat Altered)
Adapted Version
Once, there was a quiet king. He was the king of endings. His room was dark and cold. He sat on a very big chair. Sadness and Pain stood near him. They never smiled. They were quiet too. The king was always very serious.
The king looked at his many helpers. They all stood in the shadows. He spoke in a soft, low voice. "I need a new special helper," he said. "A very dangerous helper. Who is the best helper here?"
A red man jumped forward. It was Fever. "I am the best helper!" he said. "I make people very hot. Their heads feel warm. I make them very tired. They feel sick all over. They must stay in bed all day."
Then The Big Cough shouted. "No! I am the best helper! I make people cough all day." A gray helper spoke. It was The Runny Nose. "I am better! I make noses run. I make people sneeze." Then Tummy Ache yelled. "No, pick me! I make tummies hurt."
The Quiet King held up his hand. All the helpers were quiet. The king thought for a long time.
The king looked in the far corner. A funny man was dancing there. He wore bright, silly clothes. He was The Silly Sickness. The king pointed his long black stick. "You," the king said. "You are my new helper." The other sicknesses were very surprised. They all looked at the funny man.
The king spoke again. His voice was very serious. "You run away from Fever," he said. "You hide from The Big Cough. You stay away from Tummy Ache. But you ask The Silly Sickness to play. You think he is your new friend. You think he is just fun. He makes you laugh out loud. He makes you act very silly. But he also makes you forget. You forget to be safe. You forget to be careful. He makes you fall down hard. He makes you very, very sick later. A friendly helper is the most dangerous."
The Silly Sickness was his most dangerous helper.
Original Story
FABLE XLVII.
The Court of Death.
Once on a time, in solemn state,
Death, in his pomp of terror, sate.
Attendant on his gloomy reign,
Sadness and Madness, Woe and Pain,
His vassal train. With hollow tone
The tyrant muttered from his throne:
"We choose a minister to-night;
Let him who wills prefer his right,
And unto the most worthy hand
We will commit the ebon wand."
Fever stood forth: "And I appeal
To weekly bills to show my zeal.
Repelled, repulsed, I persevere;
Often quotidian through a year."
Gout next appeared to urge his claim
For the racked joints of tortured frame:
He, too, besieged the man oppressed,
Nor would depart, although suppressed.
Then Rheumatics stept forth, and said:
"I plague them as they lie in bed."
Whilst Palsy said: "I make them stumble;
When they get up, I make them tumble."
Then quick Consumption, slow Decline,
Put in their claims, on counts malign;
And Plague preferred his rapid power
To weed a nation in an hour.
At the first pause, the monarch said:
"Merit of modesty was bred.
Does no physician strive with these?
Physicians are content with fees.
I say, give Drunkenness the wand;
There, give it to his drunken hand.
For wary men, as foes, detest
You, Rheumatics—who break their rest—
Fever, and Gout, who here contend;
But Drunkenness they think their friend,
Invite him to their feasts: he shares
Alike their merriments and cares.
He for another magnum calls
At weddings, births, and funerals."
Story DNA
Moral
Those who invite their own destruction, thinking it a friend, are more dangerous to themselves than any obvious foe.
Plot Summary
Death, personified as a monarch, convenes his court of ailments to choose a new minister. Various diseases like Fever, Gout, and Plague present their destructive powers, boasting of the suffering they inflict. After hearing their claims, Death surprisingly awards the position to Drunkenness, explaining that while other diseases are feared and avoided, Drunkenness is welcomed as a friend into people's lives, making it the most effective and insidious agent of self-destruction.
Themes
Emotional Arc
ignorance to grim realization
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
John Gay's fables often satirized contemporary society and human follies, reflecting Enlightenment-era moralizing.
Plot Beats (9)
- Death, as a king, sits in state surrounded by his attendants: Sadness, Madness, Woe, and Pain.
- Death announces his intention to appoint a new minister and invites his vassal diseases to present their qualifications.
- Fever steps forward, citing its frequent and persistent attacks as proof of its zeal.
- Gout follows, detailing its ability to torment and oppress its victims.
- Rheumatics, Palsy, Consumption, Decline, and Plague each make their case, highlighting their various destructive methods.
- After a pause, Death interrupts the proceedings.
- Death observes that physicians only care about fees and do not contend with these diseases.
- Death then surprisingly awards the ebon wand to Drunkenness.
- Death explains that while other diseases are recognized as foes, Drunkenness is mistakenly welcomed as a friend, invited to all celebrations and sorrows, thus making it the most insidious and effective destroyer.
Characters
Death ★ protagonist
A towering, skeletal figure, gaunt and emaciated, with long, bony fingers and a stooped, yet imposing posture. His presence exudes an aura of ancient, chilling authority.
Attire: A long, flowing, tattered black cloak made of coarse, heavy fabric, draped over his skeletal frame. The edges are frayed and appear to dissolve into shadow. He wears no other discernible clothing.
Wants: To maintain his dominion and choose the most effective agent to further his work.
Flaw: Perhaps a detachment from human folly, leading him to underestimate the subtle power of self-destruction.
Does not change, but rather makes a decisive judgment that reveals his perspective on human nature.
Authoritative, cynical, pragmatic, discerning, somewhat sardonic.
Image Prompt & Upload
A skeletal figure, tall and gaunt, seated on a dark, ornate throne. He wears a long, flowing, tattered black cloak made of coarse, heavy fabric. His head is a bare skull with deep, hollow eye sockets. His posture is solemn and unmoving, conveying ancient, chilling authority. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
Fever ◆ supporting
A gaunt, restless figure, appearing perpetually flushed and overheated, with a trembling, unsteady demeanor. His skin might have a reddish, inflamed quality.
Attire: Simple, thin, and clinging garments, perhaps of a pale, almost translucent fabric, suggesting a constant state of perspiration.
Wants: To be recognized as the most effective agent of Death.
Flaw: His direct and obvious nature makes him easily identifiable as an enemy.
Remains unchanged, presenting his case and accepting Death's decision.
Zealous, persistent, eager to prove his effectiveness, somewhat frantic.
Image Prompt & Upload
A gaunt, restless figure, appearing perpetually flushed and overheated, with a trembling, unsteady demeanor. His skin has a reddish, inflamed quality. His face is contorted with discomfort, with wide, bloodshot eyes. He wears simple, thin, and clinging pale fabric garments. He stands with a nervous energy, constantly shifting and swaying slightly. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
Gout ◆ supporting
A figure with visibly swollen and inflamed joints, particularly in the hands and feet, moving with great difficulty and pain. His build might be somewhat corpulent, suggesting a life of indulgence.
Attire: Comfortable, loose-fitting, but perhaps slightly opulent garments, suggesting a background of leisure that led to his affliction. Fabrics might be rich but worn with discomfort.
Wants: To prove his effectiveness in causing prolonged suffering and incapacitation.
Flaw: His debilitating nature makes him an obvious and hated foe.
Remains unchanged, presenting his case and accepting Death's decision.
Persistent, agonizing, demanding, self-important.
Image Prompt & Upload
A figure with visibly swollen and inflamed joints, particularly in the hands and feet, moving with great difficulty and pain. His build is somewhat corpulent. His face is etched with chronic pain, with a grimace and furrowed brow. He wears comfortable, loose-fitting, slightly opulent garments of rich fabric. He moves slowly and gingerly, wincing with each step. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
Drunkenness ⚔ antagonist
A jovial, disheveled figure, perhaps with a ruddy complexion and a slightly bloated appearance. He might sway gently even when standing still, with a perpetual, slightly unfocused smile.
Attire: Clothing that was once fine but is now rumpled, stained, and ill-fitting, perhaps with a few buttons undone. Colors might be vibrant but faded or dulled by neglect.
Wants: To be embraced and invited by humans, leading them to their downfall through their own choices.
Flaw: Relies on human ignorance and desire for pleasure, rather than direct force.
Elevated to a position of power by Death, confirming his insidious effectiveness.
Deceptive, insidious, jovial, persuasive, self-destructive.
Image Prompt & Upload
A jovial, disheveled male figure, adult in appearance, with a ruddy complexion and a slightly bloated appearance. He sways gently even when standing still, with a perpetual, slightly unfocused smile. His face is round and flushed with bloodshot, watery eyes that twinkle with a false sense of merriment. His hair is messy and askew. He wears rumpled, stained, and ill-fitting clothing that was once fine, with a few buttons undone. He holds a large, overflowing tankard of ale in one hand and a half-empty wine bottle in the other. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
Locations
The Court of Death
A solemn, gloomy court where Death sits in pomp and terror on a throne, attended by his vassal train of Sadness, Madness, Woe, and Pain.
Mood: Eerie, terrifying, oppressive, formal
Death presides over a selection process for his new minister, ultimately choosing Drunkenness.
Image Prompt & Upload
A vast, cavernous hall with towering, rough-hewn obsidian pillars that disappear into shadow. A massive, jagged throne of dark, polished stone dominates the center, upon which a cloaked, skeletal figure sits. Dim, cold light emanates from unseen sources high above, casting long, distorted shadows of spectral figures that stand silently in attendance. The floor is a smooth, dark slate, reflecting the oppressive gloom. no border, no frame, no watermark, no text, no signature, edge-to-edge illustration.
