About the work
Reineke Fuchs is a verse epic by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, published in 1794 and based on medieval animal fables. In satirical form the work tells of the cunning fox who must answer to the animal kingdom, and has been variously adapted for the stage.
Plot
At the court of the lion king Nobel the animals gather to bring complaints about the misdeeds of Reineke the fox. Reineke is summoned, but escapes his accusers again and again through lies, flattery and skilful manipulation. He invents a supposed treasure to exploit the king's greed and turns against former allies. In the decisive duel he defeats the wolf Isegrim by cunning. Instead of being punished, Reineke in the end even rises to become chancellor of the realm.
Cultural significance
Reineke Fuchs is one of the most significant German treatments of the European fox-epic material and a timeless satire on power politics and social double standards. Goethe's elegant hexameters lent the coarse medieval material literary dignity and made it accessible to a modern audience.