The poem Frog and The Nightingale is one of the well-known poems from the collection of Vikram Seth. He is an Indian novelist and poet, who has published six poetry books and three novels. “A Suitable Boy” is one of his most acclaimed works of literature. The Frog and the Nightingale poem has been extracted from his anthology of poems ‘Beastly tales’. The main theme of this poem is the consequences of being driven by flattery. In The Frog and The Nightingale poem, the frog seems to be exploiting the nightingale, just to earn fame and money. The frog claims to have quality, but ultimately he was a cunning capitalist that fed out of low self-esteem and vulnerable artists, leading to a disaster.
The Frog and Nightingale Poem- Summary
The poem ‘The Frog and the Nightingale’ explores certain feelings of self-confidence and selfishness. An allegorical poem that talks about believing in oneself, as well as a cautionary story about chances and the dangers of being exploited.
‘The Frog and the Nightingale’ talks about a frog with an unpleasant voice. And in spite of this, the frog was full of self-confidence. He croaked all night, much to the annoyance of the other animals in the forest, who were all tired of his incessant croaking and tried insulting him whenever he started singing. The frog was adamant and didn’t heed much to their criticism. He believed his voice to be very special and was insensitive to the distress he was causing others. One day, his arrogance was shattered by the arrival of a nightingale whose melodious voice was seen as a welcome change. The other animals appreciated her melodious voice and started to reward her with thunderous applause. The frog felt threatened by the presence of the talented rival and was jealous of all the adulation she was getting. Thus, he thought of a plan to destroy her and get her out of his way. Next night as the nightingale was about to sing, the frog interrupted her by saying that he has a great knowledge in singing. Saying she lacked a certain force. Taken aback, the nightingale said ‘at least it's mine’ about her song. Not having enough confidence in her own ability, the nightingale accepted the offer of being tutored by the frog. The frog took away all the money he made through her concerts. The frog made her rehearse night and day, and even the rain didn't stop him. The frog took to abusing the nightingale in an attempt to shatter her morale, which gradually started to affect her singing. The nightingale, broken-hearted, refused to sing any longer, but the frog would not listen. Continuous coaxing caused the nightingale to fall dead.
The frog and said he tried to teach her but she was stupid and nervous to learn anything. The frog was insensitive when he said that she was very easily influenced, well aware of the fact that he was actually influencing her negatively. The frog returned and sang and annoyed the other creatures.He caused the downfall of the nightingale and finally satisfied that he no longer had to compete with someone more talented.
