The Hind and the Panther

References

The Hind and the Panther

poem by Dryden

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

June 29, 2026

Quick Summary

The Hind and the Panther is an allegorical poem by John Dryden, published in 1687. It uses a beast fable format to explore the religious and political conflicts of its time, particularly the animosity between Anglicanism and Roman Catholicism.12

In the poem, the Hind represents the Roman Catholic Church, while the Panther symbolizes the Church of England. Through their interactions and the actions of other animals representing various religious and political factions, Dryden traces the historical tensions and debates between these groups. The work reflects Dryden's conversion to Catholicism and his defense of his adopted faith during a period of significant religious and political upheaval in England.12

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

2 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

beast epic
…the framework of the poem The Hind and the Panther (1687), and Joel Chandler Harris’ Uncle Remus: His Songs and His Sayings (1880) derived many episodes from beast tales carried to the United States by African slaves. Animal Farm (1945), an antiutopian satire by George Orwell, is a modern adaptation…
Read More
…the framework of the poem The Hind and the Panther (1687), and Joel Chandler Harris’ Uncle Remus: His Songs and His Sayings (1880) derived many episodes from beast tales carried to the United States by African slaves. Animal Farm (1945), an antiutopian satire by George Orwell, is a modern adaptation…
Read More

John Dryden
Late works
…longest poem, the beast fable The Hind and the Panther (1687), he argued the case for his adopted church against the Church of England and the sects. His earlier Religio Laici (1682) had argued in eloquent couplets for the consolations of Anglicanism and against unbelievers, Protestant dissenters, and Roman Catholics.…
Read More
…longest poem, the beast fable The Hind and the Panther (1687), he argued the case for his adopted church against the Church of England and the sects. His earlier Religio Laici (1682) had argued in eloquent couplets for the consolations of Anglicanism and against unbelievers, Protestant dissenters, and Roman Catholics.…
Read More

English literature
Dryden
…basic issues of faith, and The Hind and the Panther (1687), in which an elaborate allegorical beast fable is deployed to trace the history of animosities between Anglicanism and Roman Catholicism. In the Glorious Revolution (1688) Dryden stayed loyal to the Catholicism to which he had converted a few years…
Read More
…basic issues of faith, and The Hind and the Panther (1687), in which an elaborate allegorical beast fable is deployed to trace the history of animosities between Anglicanism and Roman Catholicism. In the Glorious Revolution (1688) Dryden stayed loyal to the Catholicism to which he had converted a few years…
Read More

fable, parable, and allegory
Beast epic
…John Dryden’s poem of “The Hind and Panther” (1687) revived the beast epic as a framework for theological debate. Bernard de Mandeville’s Fable of the Bees (first published 1705 as The Grumbling Hive; or, Knaves Turn’d Honest) illustrated the rapacious nature of humans in society through the age-old metaphor…
Read More
…John Dryden’s poem of “The Hind and Panther” (1687) revived the beast epic as a framework for theological debate. Bernard de Mandeville’s Fable of the Bees (first published 1705 as The Grumbling Hive; or, Knaves Turn’d Honest) illustrated the rapacious nature of humans in society through the age-old metaphor…
Read More