The Lady or the Tiger
A "semi-barbaric" king rules a land sometime in the past. Some of the king's ideas are progressive,
but others
cause people to suffer. One of the king's
innovations is the use of a public trial by ordeal as "an
agent of poetic justice", with guilt or innocence
decided by the result of chance. A person accused of a crime
is brought into a public arena and must choose one
of two doors. Behind one door is a lady whom the king
has deemed an appropriate match for
the accused; behind the other is a fierce, hungry tiger. Both doors
are heavily soundproofed to prevent the
accused from hearing what is behind each one. If he chooses the
door with the lady behind it, he is
innocent and must immediately marry her, but if he chooses the door
with the tiger behind it, he is
deemed guilty and is immediately devoured by the animal.
The king learns that his daughter has a lover, a handsome and brave youth who is of lower status
than the
princess and
has him imprisoned to await trial. By the time that day comes, the princess has used
her influence to
learn the positions of the lady and the tiger behind the two doors. She has also discovered
that the
lady is someone whom she hates, thinking her to be a rival for the affections of the accused. When
he looks to the princess for help, she discreetly indicates the door on his right, which he opens.
Comprehension Questions:
1.When does the barbaric king use his public trial by ordeal?
2. Why can the accused not hear anything behind the two doors?
3. If the accused is innocent of the crime what will the king do to him?
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