[[quoteright:181:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/androcles.jpg]]

''Androcles and the Lion'' is a play by Creator/GeorgeBernardShaw, first performed in 1913.

The play retells the fable of Androcles, a Roman fugitive who befriends a lion after pulling a thorn out of its foot, is recaptured and sentenced to be thrown to the wild beasts in the arena, and is saved when one of the wild beasts turns out to be the same lion.

In Shaw's retelling, Androcles is a member of the early Christian church who is persecuted by the Roman authorities for his beliefs; Shaw uses the situation to explore his views on religion, faith, and hypocrisy. The published version of the play includes a prefatory essay longer than the play itself, in which Shaw expounds his views in more depth.

A [[TheFilmOfThePlay film adaptation]], directed by Chester Erskine and starring Creator/JeanSimmons, Creator/VictorMature, and Creator/AlanYoung as Androcles, was released in 1952.

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!!This work contains examples of:
%%ZCE* AndroclesLion
* AnachronismStew: The Christians are heard singing "Onward Christian Soldiers" when brought to the Colosseum, a hymn written in 1865.
* BloodKnight: For all his efforts, Ferrovius is unable to master pacifism. He even kills a gladiator, rather than getting martyred. In the end, he admits that Mars is his god.
* CorruptChurch: The Emperor, though elevated to divinity, believes in the Roman gods "no more than... any educated man in Rome." Indeed, all that educated Romans have to do with their religion is making token sacrifices to Diana or Jupiter, and that lets them stand on the outside of the arena where Christians who refuse to burn the incense are thrown to the lions.
%%ZCE* GladiatorGames
* GrandInquisitorScene: A scene in which the Roman Emperor asserts that he is actually a Christian evangelist -- since Christian martyrs inspire converts, the more Christians he kills, the more Christians he creates.
* AHandfulForAnEye: Following an offstage fight between Secutor and Retiarius, Secutor enters from the arena covered in dust and asks if it is fair for Retiarius to win by throwing dust in his eyes. Caesar replies that there's no rule against it.
* IllegalReligion: The main characters are a group of Christians about to be thrown to the lions for their religion.
* PantomimeAnimal: The lion is portrayed by a human actor in a suit.
* StrawHypocrite: Caesar admits that the practices of the religion he nominally leads are meaningless.
* TurnTheOtherCheek: Ferrovius allows Lentulus to strike him on the other cheek so he can demonstrate that he is a true Christian. He then seizes Lentulus and asks him to turn the other cheek when he strikes him.
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