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.

Outlines

00:00

🏟️ The King's Innovative Punishment

The story begins with a king who is troubled by the wrongdoings in his kingdom. He devises an idea to build a grand stadium not for entertainment but as a place of judgment for wrongdoers. The stadium is to host a life-or-death game where wrongdoers must choose between two doors: one hiding a tiger and the other, a beautiful woman. Choosing the tiger means certain death, while choosing the woman means immediate marriage. The king's plan is to deter crime by making wrongdoers face the consequences of their actions publicly. The people, though initially excited about the stadium, become fearful and the number of crimes decreases as a result.

05:01

👑 The King's Daughter and the Forbidden Love

The narrative shifts to the king's daughter, a strong and clever woman admired by all. She falls in love with a gardener, a man of humble status, which leads to a secret and dangerous romance. Their love is discovered by the king, who is furious and imprisons the gardener. The daughter, aware of her father's intentions, learns about the stadium's game and the identities of the woman and the tiger behind the doors. She is faced with the dilemma of losing her lover to another woman or to death itself.

10:03

🔍 The Fateful Choice

The story concludes with the gardener's appearance at the stadium for his judgment. The king's daughter, sitting beside her father, subtly signals to her lover, indicating the door he should choose. The story ends on a cliffhanger, leaving the audience to ponder whether the daughter chose the door with the tiger, leading to her lover's death, or the door with the woman, ensuring his survival but at the cost of their love. The narrative invites the reader to speculate on the daughter's decision and the nature of love, sacrifice, and power.

Keywords

💡King

A king is a male monarch, a hereditary ruler of a kingdom. In the script, the king is depicted as strong, clever, and unhappy with the wrongdoings in his country. He devises an unusual punishment system to deter crime, reflecting his authority and the theme of justice and consequence.

💡Wrongdoers

Wrongdoers are individuals who commit immoral or illegal acts. The script discusses the king's concern about the prevalence of wrongdoing in his country and his efforts to curb it, which is central to the narrative's exploration of morality and deterrence.

💡Stadium

A stadium is a large venue for sports, concerts, or other events. In the story, the king commissions a stadium to be built, which is later used for a dramatic and public form of justice, symbolizing the spectacle and public nature of the king's punishment.

💡Punishment

Punishment is the act of imposing a penalty or suffering for a wrongdoing. The script describes the king's unique punishment method involving a choice between two doors, where one leads to a tiger and the other to a bride, embodying the concept of fate and consequence.

💡Tiger

In the script, the tiger represents the consequence of choosing the wrong door. It symbolizes death and the ultimate punishment for the wrongdoers, adding an element of danger and suspense to the story.

💡Lady

The lady behind one of the doors represents the reward for choosing correctly. She symbolizes life, love, and the possibility of redemption, contrasting with the tiger's threat of death.

💡Choice

Choice is the act of selecting one possibility out of several. The script revolves around the concept of choice, where wrongdoers must choose between life and death, love and punishment, highlighting the theme of free will and its consequences.

💡Daughter

The king's daughter is a central character who embodies beauty, strength, and cunning. Her involvement in the story, particularly her relationship with the gardener, adds a layer of complexity and personal conflict to the theme of justice and morality.

💡Gardener

The gardener is a character who falls in love with the king's daughter and becomes a wrongdoer by virtue of their relationship. His plight illustrates the personal cost of the king's justice system and the theme of love versus societal norms.

💡Fear

Fear is a recurring theme in the script, as it is used by the king to deter crime. The fear of facing the tiger or an unwanted marriage drives the wrongdoers' decisions and the public's reaction to the spectacle.

💡Morality

Morality refers to the principles concerning the distinction between right and wrong or good and bad behavior. The script explores morality through the king's methods and the dilemmas faced by the characters, particularly the king's daughter, challenging the audience to consider the nature of justice and ethical behavior.

Highlights

The king's innovative idea to deter wrongdoing by building a stadium with a life-or-death choice.

The stadium is not for entertainment but serves as a place of judgment for wrongdoers.

Wrongdoers must choose between two doors: one with a tiger and one with a beautiful lady.

The choice is life-altering: either death by tiger or marriage to a stranger.

The king's daughter, a strong and clever character, plays a pivotal role in the story.

The king's daughter falls in love with a gardener, a forbidden romance.

The king's discovery of their love affair leads to the gardener being labeled a wrongdoer.

The gardener is forced to make the choice between the lady or the tiger.

The king's daughter's strategic visit to the stadium workers to learn the secret behind the doors.

The dilemma faced by the king's daughter: wanting her lover to live but not with another woman.

The subtle non-verbal cue from the king's daughter that may determine the gardener's fate.

The suspenseful moment when the gardener chooses the door based on the king's daughter's signal.

The story's cliffhanger ending leaves the audience to ponder the outcome of the gardener's choice.

The moral dilemma presented by the king's justice system and its impact on the people.

The decrease in wrongdoing as a result of the king's unique punishment method.

The psychological warfare between the king's daughter and the gardener in the face of life-or-death.

The societal implications of the king's decision and its effect on the community.

The exploration of love, power, and morality in the king's kingdom.

Transcripts

the lady or the tiger many many years

ago there was a king in a far country he

was famous he was strong and he was very

clever but in his country he had many

wrongdoers the king was unhappy about

this but how can you stop people from

doing wrong

it is not easy he thought about this

difficult question for a long time but

he could not find the answer

suddenly one day he had a good idea he

spoke to his people and told them to

build a big Stadium in the centre of the

city it must be very big and very

beautiful he told them so the people

worked hard for many months one day the

building was finished the stadium was

ready inside it there were places for

5,000 people everyone was very excited

about this beautiful new building some

wanted to watch games in the stadium

others wanted to have dancing and

singing but what did the King want no

one knew the day of the opening came

everyone ran to the stadium to get a

place inside the people got more excited

when the King arrived they were all

quiet waiting first he took his place

then he stood up and spoke my people my

friends he said firstly I want to thank

all the workers for their good work we

now have a beautiful stadium and it is

very well built secondly I know that

many of you want to see games and

dancing here but this stadium is going

to be different it is not going to be a

place for having a good time it is going

to be a place for wrongdoers

if

one of you does something wrong we are

going to bring him to this place there

he must stand in the middle of this

stadium in front of us all now do you

all see those two doors coloured blue at

the far end of the stadium they look the

same perhaps but they are not behind one

door I am going to put a dangerous

animal a tiger behind the other door

there is going to be a beautiful lady

the wrongdoer must choose one of these

doors if he opens the wrong door he

finds the tiger it jumps out and kills

him if he opens the other door he finds

the beautiful young woman she is to be

his wife they must marry immediately

right here in the stadium before eyes

after that they can live happily with us

as husband and wife

so each wrongdoer must choose very

carefully before he chooses he and we

cannot know if he is going to live or

die as soon as he opens one of those two

doors we all know immediately that is my

idea so tell me my friends is it a good

idea or is it not it is good Oh king it

is very good the people answered but

they were quiet they were afraid thank

you said the king now go home come to

the stadium again at the same time next

week then you can watch the first

wrongdoer make his choice every week

from now on

a different man is going to choose to

live if he is lucky or to die if he is

not from that day

the people came every week to the

stadium to watch a different wrongdoer

sometimes he opened the right blue door

and the beautiful lady came out then

there were singing and dancing everyone

threw flowers down to the lucky people

and went home happily

but at other times the wrong door opened

the wrong door immediately a big tiger

ran out into the stadium and jumped on

the unlucky man in a few minutes the

tiger killed him in front of all the

watching people when he lay dead in the

center of the stadium the people went

home sadly they took their flowers with

them it is interesting that in a short

time the number of wrongdoers in the

country got much smaller no one wanted

to stand in the middle of the stadium

and make that difficult choice now there

is another important person in this

story the king had only one child a

daughter she was very beautiful she had

green eyes and long red hair and she

moved as quickly as a cat she too was

strong and clever a strong and clever as

her father she did not smile often but

when she smiled people were happy when

she was angry everyone was afraid they

knew that at those times she was a very

dangerous young woman her picture was in

every home men women and children

followed her when she went walking in

the streets of the city they waited to

see her famous smile and sometimes they

were lucky one day she was out walking

in a city park when she saw a young man

he was a gardener and the park was where

he worked he was very good-looking he

was tall and strong he had dark

blue-black hair and a dark mustache when

he laughed he

could see his beautiful white teeth the

king's daughter stopped and looked at

him closely she thought that he was the

most beautiful man in the world she

began to talk with him and liked him

more and more the young man could not

understand why did the king's daughter

want to talk to him he was not important

he was only the king's gardener but he

could not take his eyes off her as soon

as he looked into her big green eyes and

saw her smile he was in love but he knew

that this love was very dangerous he was

not a rich man not from a rich family he

could never marry the daughter of the

king but the two young lovers knew that

they must meet again they started to

meet every day at times when no one

could see them every day their love was

stronger and stronger they were very

happy then one day the King found them

together there in the city gardens his

daughter was in the young man's arms the

king was very very angry

he called his men immediately they took

the young man away and shut him in a

dark dirty room they gave him only bread

and water to eat now the king's daughter

could not see her lover anymore

the young man lay in the dark he knew

that he was a wrongdoer and in much

danger from the king now we know that

the king's daughter was a strong young

woman and that she was very clever when

her father's men took her lover away she

too saw the danger immediately she knew

very well what was going to happen next

so early in the morning she went to the

stadium no one saw her go she spoke to

the workers there and gave them some

money which room is

Tyger in she asked they told her and

which girl is going to be behind the

other door the workers did not want to

answer they were afraid I must know said

the king's daughter who is she she is

the daughter of your father's driver the

workers answered the king's daughter

knew her well a young and beautiful girl

with rich brown hair but the king's

daughter did not like her she began to

think hard if my lover chooses the wrong

door he dies but if he chooses the right

door he marries this cheap little thing

this drivers child and I lose him to her

so I too must choose that afternoon the

king called all his people back to the

stadium again his men brought the young

man from the dark room there he stood in

the middle of the stadium tired hungry

and afraid the King sat in his place

above the people and his daughter sat

next to him she did not move a face

showed nothing then the King stood and

spoke to his people you all know this

Gardner my friends and you know why he

is here he was the lover of my daughter

but many weeks I did not know that but I

know it now what happens to a wrongdoer

in our country that - we know he must

choose a lady or the tiger if he opens

the wrong door he must fight the tiger

if he opens the right door he must marry

the lady

so now choose young man choose very

carefully if you want to live and not

die the young man stood quietly and

listened to the

Kings words but his eyes were not on the

king they were on the face of the Kings

daughter she had no smile for him today

but he looked at her eyes her eyes told

him something she looked down quickly at

her hand then she looked up again

he saw her smallest finger move a little

to the left and immediately he knew the

door to open was the door on the left he

turned and walked very slowly to the

left-hand door all the people watched

him without a sound he put out his hand

and opened the door

but here the story ends remember that

the king's daughter was a clever young

woman she was in love but she was angry

too did she want her lover to meet the

tiger a fight that he must lose did she

want him to die or did she want him to

live and have another beautiful woman

for his wife to give him this other

woman in place of her we do not know

what ideas were at work inside her

beautiful head tell me what do you think

which did she choose what was behind

that door lady or the tiger