Learn English through story The Lady or the Tiger

Summary

In a far country, a king devises a unique punishment for wrongdoers: a choice between two doors in a grand stadium. One hides a tiger, the other, a bride. The twist? The king's daughter falls for a gardener, but when he's caught and deemed a wrongdoer, she must decide his fate. As the crowd awaits the gardener's choice, the princess subtly signals, leaving the audience to ponder: will it be love or death behind the door?

Takeaways

• 🏰 The story is set in a kingdom with a wise and strong king who is troubled by the prevalence of wrongdoing among his people.
• 🔍 The king devises an innovative punishment system involving a large stadium with two doors, one hiding a tiger and the other a beautiful woman.
• 👥 The public is both excited and fearful of the stadium's purpose, which serves as a deterrent for potential wrongdoers.
• 🚪 Wrongdoers are forced to choose between two doors, with the outcome being marriage to a beautiful woman or death by a tiger.
• 📉 The king's scheme leads to a significant decrease in criminal activity as people become more cautious about their actions.
• 👸 The king has a strong-willed and clever daughter who is admired by the people, but she is also capable of great anger and danger.
• 🌹 The princess falls in love with a gardener, which leads to a dangerous situation when their secret relationship is discovered by the king.
• 🔒 The gardener is imprisoned for his transgression, and the princess is desperate to know the fate that awaits him in the stadium.
• 🤔 The princess learns the secret of which door hides the tiger and which the woman, setting the stage for a dramatic choice.
• 🐯 At the climactic moment, the princess subtly signals to the gardener, leaving the audience to ponder whether she chose life or death for her lover.

Q & A

What was the king famous for?

The king was famous for being strong, clever, and having a far country.

What was the king unhappy about?

The king was unhappy about the many wrongdoers in his country.

What was the king's solution to the problem of wrongdoers?

The king's solution was to build a big stadium where wrongdoers would have to choose between two doors, one with a tiger and the other with a lady.

What were the consequences for wrongdoers in the stadium?

If a wrongdoer opened the door with the tiger, they would be killed. If they opened the door with the lady, they would marry her immediately.

How did the people react to the king's idea?

Initially, the people praised the king's idea, but they were also quiet and afraid.

What was the effect of the king's stadium on the number of wrongdoers?

The number of wrongdoers in the country got much smaller because no one wanted to face the choice in the stadium.

What is significant about the king's daughter?

The king's daughter is described as very beautiful, strong, clever, and dangerous when angry.

Who did the king's daughter fall in love with?

The king's daughter fell in love with a young gardener she met in the city park.

What happened when the king discovered the relationship between his daughter and the gardener?

The king was very angry and had the gardener taken away and imprisoned in a dark, dirty room.

What dilemma did the king's daughter face regarding the gardener's fate?

The king's daughter had to decide whether to let her lover die by the tiger or live and marry another woman.

What clue did the king's daughter give the gardener to help him choose the correct door?

The king's daughter moved her smallest finger to the left, indicating the left-hand door was the correct choice.

What is left ambiguous in the story regarding the king's daughter's intentions?

It is left ambiguous whether the king's daughter wanted her lover to live with another woman or to die by the tiger.