THE KING AND THE ARTIST
There was a one-eyed king who had an artist that he didn’t like. He was searching for a reason to have him killed. One day, he ordered the artist to paint his portrait. The artist thought to himself, “If I draw him with one eye, he will kill me. How could I dare? If I draw him with two eyes, he will also kill me, as it will not resemble him.”
After much contemplation, the artist came up with an idea. He drew a picture of a deer and the king holding a gun. He made the king’s blind eye closed and his healthy eye aimed at the deer.
When the artist showed the portrait to the king, the king could not do anything, and the artist survived.
By Sulkhan-Saba Orbeliani
Fable: A fable is a short story that conveys a moral truth, often using animals as characters.
Question Time:
1. What is the moral of the story?
2. What was the importance of the deer in the artist’s portrait?
3. How did the artist feel when he was asked to paint the king’s portrait?
4. Why did not the king kill the artist when he saw the portrait?
5. Do you think the artist’s solution was ethical? why? why not?
6. How does the story illustrate the importance of critical thinking and cleverness?