What details are relevant to the outcome of the story "The Lady, or Tiger"?
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What details are relevant to the outcome of the story "The Lady, or Tiger"?
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Certain details about the nature of the king and his daughter are...
Certain details about the nature of the king and his daughter are relevant to the outcome of the story "The Lady, or The Tiger?" In the opening paragraph the king is described as "semi-barbaric" and despotic as he agrees only with himself on matters. And, when everything goes smoothly, "his nature is bland and genial." However, when things do not go as he wants, he makes the "crooked straight," and he "crushes down uneven places." His...
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What details are relevant to the outcome of the story "The Lady, or Tiger"?
What details are relevant to the outcome of the story "The Lady, or Tiger"?
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Why is it important that the accused people come out underneath the...
Why is it important that the accused people come out underneath the place where the king and his party sit in the arena in the story "The Lady or the Tiger?"
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Since her father's proclamation of judgment, the princess has been...
Since her father's proclamation of judgment, the princess has been having dreams about her lover's final fate. In some dreams, she sees the terrifying prospect of her lover torn to pieces by the fierce, blood-thirsty tiger. Worse than the prospect of his death is the probability of her being witness to his violent demise. In other dreams, the princess sees her lover marry one of the "fairest and loveliest of the damsels of the court." In this...
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In the story, the princess knows that, if she leads her lover to the...
In the story, the princess knows that, if she leads her lover to the door with the tiger, her lover will be torn to pieces. Yet, despite this terrifying prospect, the princess wonders whether it wouldn't actually be "better for him to die at once, and go to wait for her in the blessed regions of semi-barbaric futurity." She imagines that if she cannot marry him on earth, death will eventually join them in wedded bliss. The princess is also...
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There appears to be three reasons for why the king insisted on the...
There appears to be three reasons for why the king insisted on the continuation of the trial. First, the unusual trial was the centerpiece of the king's justice system, and it highlighted what he believed to be the wisdom inherent in his "barbaric idealism." It "pleased his fancy" to adopt a form of judgment that satisfied not only his ideals but also the dictates of his ego. Second, the king was not especially pleased with the fact that his...
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When a man or woman of royal blood falls in love with and marries a...
When a man or woman of royal blood falls in love with and marries a commoner, this is known as a morganatic alliance or marriage. The term "morganatic" refers to the German "morgengabe," which is the gift bequeathed to the bride by her royal groom, the morning after the consummation of the marriage. Historically, in Germany, the commoner spouse and any resulting children from the union could not inherit the titles nor the privileges that came...
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The citizens of the kingdom greatly applaud the king's method of...
The citizens of the kingdom greatly applaud the king's method of justice. Because of the unpredictability of any one trial, the people find the king's method of administering justice extremely entertaining. They never know when they will be witness to "a bloody slaughter or a hilarious wedding." Therefore, the element of "uncertainty" in the proceedings keeps the citizens greatly engrossed in the elements of each trial. To them, the king's...
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In the story, the princess was said to have possessed "more power,...
In the story, the princess was said to have possessed "more power, influence, and force of character than any one who had ever before been interested in such a case." She had power because she was the king's daughter, great influence because of her position in society, and an implacable will because of her proud ancestry. The text documents for us the princess' strong will, which is her heritage from her "semi-barbaric" father; even in love,...
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Although the author does not say, the story appears to have taken place...
Although the author does not say, the story appears to have taken place during ancient times. The text tells us that the "semi-barbaric" king of the story held progressive ideas that were inspired by "distant Latin neighbors." The reference to the "semi-barbaric" king is significant. First, the text tells us how the king's "barbarism had become semified." In essence, he had borrowed ideas about execution and justice from his more progressive...
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The location of the king’s party is important because the princess is...
The location of the king’s party is important because the princess is able to secretly signal her lover. It is important that the king and the accused can see each other, because the king feels that fate is at play in his system of justice. He is not the one condemning the accused or pardoning him. That is done by fate. The accused person chooses between two doors. One kills him and the other sends him to his wedding to a beautiful...
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Based on the clues given in the story, does the princess send the young...
Based on the clues given in the story, does the princess send the young man to the lady or to the tiger in "The Lady or the Tiger"?
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Based on the clues, it is likely that the princess sent her lover to his...
Based on the clues, it is likely that the princess sent her lover to his death. Stockton tells us that this story is a sort of personality test. However, it seems that there is plenty of evidence that the princess had her lover killed. Stockton spends a lot of time telling us about her nature. He tells us that the semi-barbaric king has a semi-barbaric daughter. This semi-barbaric king had a daughter as blooming as his most florid fancies,...
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The purpose of this short story is to provoke a discussion about human...
The purpose of this short story is to provoke a discussion about human nature: are people primarily motivated by good or by evil impulses? It is also meant to provoke a discussion about love: is love dominated by possessiveness, self-interest and envy or by an altruism that leads to self sacrifice for the beloved? In this story, a fable set in a fairytale kingdom, a monarch determines the guilt or innocence of someone accused of a crime in the...
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Why is it important that the accused people come out underneath the...
Why is it important that the accused people come out underneath the place where the king and his party sit in the arena in the story "The Lady or the Tiger?"
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What kinds of behavior and folklore is Frank Stockton satirizing in the...
What kinds of behavior and folklore is Frank Stockton satirizing in the short story "The Lady or the Tiger?"?
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This short story is very reminiscent of the ancient tradition of...
This short story is very reminiscent of the ancient tradition of gladiator fights and justice dealt in arenas. The text proclaims the king to be "barbaric"--he always has to get his way. Typically, someone considered a barbarian is uncivilized, and any form of justice would be considered primitive. In this story, this barbaric king believes that he has developed the best form of justice: he will put the accused in an arena and allow him to...
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The king and his daughter are both semi-barbaric. This means that they...
The king and his daughter are both semi-barbaric. This means that they are passionate and strong-willed, and make sure that things are done their way. The king does what he wants and doesn’t ask for input from anyone. He was a man of exuberant fancy, and, withal, of an authority so irresistible that, at his will, he turned his varied fancies into facts. He was greatly given to self-communing, and, when he and himself agreed upon anything,...
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The king's arena functions as a court of law in which those accused of...
The king's arena functions as a court of law in which those accused of crimes are deemed guilty or innocent. Stockton describes it as a vast amphitheater circled by galleries, with hidden passages and unseen vaults. The people watch from the galleries as justice is meted out. The king, surrounded by his court, sits on a throne high up on one side of the arena. The accused emerges from a door below the king's throne. After emerging, the...
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