The Lady or the Tiger

"The Lady, or the Tiger?" is a short story written by Frank R. Stockton, first published in 1882. It is a story about a king who had an unusual way of administering justice in his kingdom.

The story goes like this: a young man fell in love with the king's daughter and began to court her. The king, who did not approve of the young man, had him arrested and put on trial for his crime. The crime was not revealed, but it was clear that the king had no intention of letting the young man go free.

The king's method of administering justice was to have the accused choose between two doors. Behind one door was a beautiful lady, and behind the other was a fierce tiger. If the accused chose the door with the lady, he would marry her immediately, but if he chose the door with the tiger, he would be torn to pieces.

The young man was brought before the king, and he was told to choose between the two doors. The princess, who knew what was behind each door, had made her decision about which door he should choose. She silently signaled to him from the stands.

The story ends with the question of which door the young man chose: did he choose the door with the lady, or the door with the tiger? The author leaves it up to the reader's imagination to decide the outcome of the story.

The story has become famous for its open-ended conclusion, which allows readers to interpret the ending in their own way. It is also a story that raises questions about the nature of justice, love, and human behavior.

Source: Some or all of the content was generated using an AI language model