What is the theme of the poem “The Spider and the Fly”?

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vinit asked 7 years ago

Comment on the theme of Mary Botham Howitt’s poem “The Spider and the Fly”.

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1 Answer

Jayanta Kumar MaityStaff asked 6 years ago
✅ Top Answer

Mary Howitt’s poem “The Spider and the Fly” is a fable in verse that delivers a lesson — never pay heed to flattery of an evil counsellor. The poetess herself conveys this message rather directly in the very last stanza of the poem.

The poem basically tells us a tale of a spider and a fly where the spider successfully seduced the fly by flattering words and trapped it as a prey. So the theme here is the power of flattery — the destructive effect of vanity. It has been a cautionary tale against those who use flattery and charm to disguise their evil intentions.

(Follow the above link for a detailed write-up on this.)

72 votes