preview

Use Of Dramatic Irony In 'The Lady Or The Tiger?'

Decent Essays

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. For example, when the princess directs the man to a door, he doesn’t know what she is thinking or what she is capable of doing. However, us as …show more content…

On page 713, line 178, the author writes, “... but upon that hot-blooded, semi-barbaric princess, her soul at a white heat beneath the combines fires of despair and jealousy. She had lost him, but who should have him?” This evidence demonstrates a clear confirmation of dramatic irony. Dramatic irony is found when the author allows the reader to know more than the character does. In this situation, we as the readers were given the knowledge that the princess is not exactly how she seems, hence the ironic tone. Instead, she has a sort of fire burning inside of her and she seems to be a jealous-type. This lets us infer that she wouldn’t want to see the man with any other woman besides her. She is a self-centered person who would either want him all to herself, or for him to die, so she must have pointed to the door awaiting the fierce tiger. Furthermore, the princess herself is a quite out-of-the-ordinary person. This can be

Get Access