Popular Fables and Pantomimes
Many well-known fables are attributed to the Greek author Aesop (c. 6th century BC).
Although these tales were rarely written down, they traveled verbally around the world until the French poet La Fontaine (1621-1695) adapted and embellished many of them. From this large collection of stories, the cat is often portrayed as a sly and devious creature, whose predatory greed is always at the forefront.
One fable in particular - The Cat, the Weasel, and the Rabbit - was an obvious criticism of human behavior. The rabbit and the weasel go to the elderly cat Raminagrobis to ask him to settle a dispute. In order to do this, the cat asks them to move closer and stand on some scales so that he can weigh his judgment for their case.
When they do this, he lashes out and kills them, thereby settling the dispute. La Fontaine neatly concludes: "This strongly resembles the squabbles which petty rulers sometimes have among themselves, before they are swallowed up by mighty kings." La Fontaine's Rodilard is a more sprightly version of Raminagrobis. In order to catch mice, he plays dead and also camouflages himself with flour.
Not all stories paint the cat in a bad light. There are tales of reciprocal kindness between humans and cats, as shown in the story of a Tuscan woman who is considerate to cats and is rewarded with gold, whereas her sister, who has no time for them, receives only scratches.
Pantomimes are a theatrical amalgamation of the most popular folk stories and fairy tales, and two famous ones, Puss in Boots by the French author Charles Perrault (1628-1703) and Dick Whittington, both feature cats prominently.
These cats, through cleverness, even magic, bring good fortune to those who are associated with them. Dick Whittington’s cat is usually depicted as black, because in Britain black cats are a good omen.
Cinderella is another well-loved pantomime. In modern productions the fairy godmother is played as a kindly woman, but in the original Italian version the part was written for a cat.
