The Spider and the Fly

The poem “The Spider and the Fly” by Mary Howitt is a

cautionary tale about how the innocent and the gullible can be
won over the wily and shrewd predators who abound the
society. It talks about the dangers of vanity and susceptibility
to flattery. The spider is portrayed as a male and the fly as a
female.
The poem progresses through a conversation between the
spider and the fly. The spider tempts the fly to enter his
parlour. He says that his parlour would be the prettiest parlour
that she has ever seen; a winding stair would lead her into the
parlour. The shrewd spider knowing that the female fly will
be naturally attracted to pretty things entices her by telling her
that he will show her a lot of pretty things once she is there.
The fly is wise and aware of the dangers of entering the
spider’s web. She knows that those who enter her parlour
never come out again. She replies to the spider saying-“for
who goes up the winding stair can ne’er come down again”.
Undeterred the spider continues trying to tempt the fly and
addresses her as “Dear friend” and says that he has great love
and affection for her. He tempts her with all the delicacies that
he has in store. She can step into the parlour and have a slice
of anything that she likes. However the fly can resist this
temptation too. She firmly declares that she knows what he
has in his pantry and has no desire to see what he has.
+QOUTE
The spider now moves from materialistic temptations to
flattery. He compliments her by saying-“you’re witty and
you’re wise!”. He praises her gauzy wings and her
sparkling ,shiny eyes. He requests her to step into his parlour
to have a glimpse of her beauty in a looking glass in his
parlour shelf. The fly still refuses to be enticed. She thanks
him for the compliments and declares that she will come
another day. As she goes away the cunning spider knows that
his words will have an effect on her and she would return, to
prepare for this he weaves an intricate web in a corner of his
den. He sets his table in readiness. Then he comes out to the
door again and begins to sing on a cheerful tone inviting the
fly to come. He flatters her on the beauty of her wings, her
green and purple robes and the crest on her head. He
compares her eyes to sparkling diamonds and his own to dull
lead. His flattery is such that the fly loses all her good sense,
ignores all the dangers and walks straight into the trap set by
the spider.
The speaker in the poem goes on to express his grief at the
folly of the fly. He describes how the fly rejects all cautions
and reluctantly flies nearer and nearer to the dangerous web
thinking only of the pretty words used by the spider. The fly
falls prey to the waxed eloquence of the spider. The spider
that has been lying in wait catches her and drags her up the
winding stairs to his morbid cell from which she never comes
out.
The poem ends with a reminder to all those who are innocent
and gullible. The speaker cautions them against paying
attention to the words of false praise of dangerous people
around them –“To idle,silly,flattering words,I pray you ne’er
give heed;”. It is a didactic poem and it is in the form of a
fable where characters behave like human beings. It is written
to educate children about the realities of the world but it is
also applicable to adults. The spider and the fly ultimately act
as metaphors for certain people who exist in society.
Qoutes:
1. “For who goes up your winding stair can ne’er come
down again”
2. “you’re witty and you’re wise!”
3. “To idle,silly,flattering words,”
4. “Crest upon your head”