Ambiguity In The Lady And The Tiger

The princess began to weep, for her lover was to die or to marry a woman she despised. She flew up and out of her seat, and she ran as fast as her feet could take her; she could not bear to see her lover’s fate. She knew the fair maiden was behind the door he was to open, and she wanted so badly to be standing in her place. She must find a way to meet him as he opened the door.

This time the subject that was being accused was his lover. The young boy had two doors to choose from, behind one awaited a young beautiful maiden that he would be set to marry if that were to be his fate, however behind another door was a hungry tiger that he would suffer at the claws of if he were to pick it. The king had arranged this entire sick and twisted affair, a quote from the short story states that “It mattered not that he already possesses a wife and family, or that his affections might be engaged upon another object of his own selection; the king allowed no such subordinate arrangements to interfere with his great scheme of retribution and reward”. The princess knew this which in turn unsettled her for she loved him with an ardor that had enough barbarism to make to extremely warm and strong. The fact that her personality was depicted as being semi barbaric and that her love for him had barbarism in it is a hint that the princess would subject her lover to death than see him with another woman.

. . burned in agony” (150) as her love runs to his reward of innocence, she chooses the door in which the tiger will appear, only because this jealous princess would not want her lover to be happy with another woman and have him kept to herself, dead or alive.

At the end of the story, “The Lady or the Tiger,” the man had a choice to pick which door. The main question is which door did he pick? The one with the tiger that would lead to certain death or the door that had the lady behind it in which he would have gotten married to. I believe the princess lead him to opened the one with the tiger. Even though she would have had to watch her lover die a painful death I don’t think she could have bared to watch him be with another. One other reason it leads me to believe she picked that one is because she was semi-barbaric, like her father. It even said in the story that she enjoyed watching them as much as he did. The princess knew the game and knew that if she picked the one with the lady behind it they would be happily married.

“The Lady, or The Tiger” by Mr. Frank R. Stockton has compelled readers for as long as time. This story ends with all wondering, so which is it, the delicate and fair young lady or the savage, fierce, wild-eyed tiger standing behind the door. This makes us ponder whether human heart chooses love or jealously. Within this essay, there will be proof that it is the stunning young woman behind the door. Although there is evidence proving that it is the tiger, in a sense there is more evidence stating that the elegant and barbaric princess allowed her real lover to continue living. To begin let us start with the small dwindling points that the tiger, lye behind the door.

One of the main characters in “The Lady or The Tiger” by Frank Stockhorn, was the semi-barbaric princess. From beginning, the unnamed princess had ambiguity written all over her, and it was generously displayed near the end of the story. The end started with the young man asking the princess in a secretive manner about who was behind each door, either the lady who he would get married too, or the tiger, by which who would eat him, including which door he should choose. The princess points to the right and the prince believes his lover without hesitation. He opens the right and the story is cut off there , leaving the reader with the question, who was behind the door? At that moment, we learn about the princess’s dilemma ; “She had lost him,

In “The Lady or the Tiger,” by Frank Stockton, a princess chose a terrible death for her lover instead of having him marry another. Firstly we know from the story that the princess has a nightmarish daydream about opening the door of the lady. For example the narrator states “How in her horrid dream had she gnashed her teeth, and torn her hair, when she saw his rapture and delight as he came across women.” This quote proves she does not like the lady.

In “The Lady Or The Tiger”, by Frank Stockton, the princess lets hatre and resentment into her heart and points to the door with the tiger behind it. In the story it says that she loathes the lady behind the door. “With all of the intensity of the savage blood passed down to her through long lines of completely barbaric ancestors, she hates the woman who blushes and trembles behind that silent door.” This quote shows that she would hate for the gentleman to marry to the lady behind the door. On the last page the author shows that, she would not mind if the man would die early.

In Addition, to the claim that the princess chose the tiger’s door is supported by the fact that she hated the young damsel because she knew that she had admiration toward her lover. Stockton say to the readers, “The girl was lovely, but she had dared to raise her eyes to the loved one of the princess: and, with all the intensity of the savage blood transmitted to her through long lines of wholly barbaric ancestors, she hated the woman who blushed and trembled behind the silent door”(3). The princess knew the young damsel, she was young and beautiful as well as the young man. She hated the fact that the damsel dared to show her admiration towards her lover. The princess wanted the young man to be with her and nobody else. She hated the woman and would not give her the benefit of getting married with her lover.

In the story of, “The Lady or the Tiger,” many people may think that the lady came out of the door. Well, I think that the tiger did. Simply because the princess didn’t like the lady and was jealous of her. “The Lady or the tiger” story makes you think was it the lady or the tiger?

In the story, “The Lady or the Tiger?,” the author left off the story for the reader to decide what was behind the door; the lady or the tiger. Author Frank R. Stockton wrote a story about a semi-barbaric King who has a unique way of justice. When a person has committed a sort of crime, they would be sent to a stadium-like setting where they would face two, identical doors; one holding a vicious, hungry tiger, and the other, a gorgeous women waiting to be wedded. The king believes that only fate can decide the victim’s future. In this story, it is clear to see in many ways that it was the tiger behind to door which the victim chose.

The choice he makes of the two doors solely depending on a Semi-Barbaric princess. Whose train of thought might be different from that of a person who is sound of mind. Being of her background, she would easily have led the youth to the door of the beast. Her choice would reflect these three reasons her jealousy, upbringing and her pride.

However, towards the end of the story we see that the princess has a large role in this. In het text it states, “Then it was that his quick and anxious glance asked the question: “Which?”” Here the reader can see the the prince is not sure which door to open. Thus, hinting that the prince is putting his fate into the princesse hands. In another part of the

Armed with the wicked view of people bestowed upon her by her ancestors, choosing for the young man to die should be no problem. Secondly, the princess abhors the lady whom the young man might be with. When describing the lady under the princess’ point of view, the text states “The princess hated the woman behind that silent door. She hated her with all the intensity of the blood passed to her through long lines of cruel ancestors.” (page 3, paragraph 5)

In the story “the Lady or the Tiger”, they end the story on a cliff hanger. The end of the story didn’t tell us what was behind the door that was open, the author leaves it up to the reader to decide what comes from behind the door. You could either open a door and get mauled by a tiger, or you could open a door and see the love of your life. I would want to see the love of my life and not the tiger.