Much of India's folklore is presented in The Red Lotus of Chastity by Ancient Indian poet Somadeva. The short story is filled with devious and cunning characters who rely on deception to accomplish their goals. It follows Machiavelli’s The Prince, concept of being the fox and the lion. Both Devasmita and the nun in The Red Lotus of Chastity attempt to succeed in being both animals. Although Machiavelli states in The Prince that he must possess both traits of the fox and the lion, only Devasmita triumphs in being both animals while the nun ends up being only the lion. In Machiavelli’s The Prince, he uses the metaphor of the fox and the lion as qualities a prince should display. “A prince must imitate the fox and the lion, for the lion cannot protect himself from traps, and the fox cannot defend himself from the wolves” (2528). He stresses the importance of a prince learning how to imitate both the fox in cunning knowledge and the lion in strength. If taken individually, “the lion cannot protect himself from traps and the fox
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“I am sure the merchant’s sons have seen the never-fading lotus which my husband carries. Now the scoundrels have come here to seduce me. Fetch me immediately some liquor loaded with Datura drug and have a dogs’s paw branding iron made” (965). Here she shows both traits of the fox and the lion. Discreetly knowing that these men are out to destroy her and her husband’s faithfulness to each other, Devasmita showcases a vengeful side of her plan, proving she can be aggressive and powerful like the lion. By deceiving her enemy with the “harmless” drugged liquor, robbing them of their senses and branding his forehead with the dog’s-paw iron, she uses the crafty notion of the fox. She manages to use the art of deception and disguise by coming up with an aggressive and vindictive plan to unmask the wicked deeds of the merchants’
“I am sure the merchant’s sons have seen the never-fading lotus which my husband carries. Now the scoundrels have come here to seduce me. Fetch me immediately some liquor loaded with Datura drug and have a dogs’s paw branding iron made” (965). Here she shows both traits of the fox and the lion. Discreetly knowing that these men are out to destroy her and her husband’s faithfulness to each other, Devasmita showcases a vengeful side of her plan, proving she can be aggressive and powerful like the lion. By deceiving her enemy with the “harmless” drugged liquor, robbing them of their senses and branding his forehead with the dog’s-paw iron, she uses the crafty notion of the fox. She manages to use the art of deception and disguise by coming up with an aggressive and vindictive plan to unmask the wicked deeds of the merchants’