Genre
Short Fiction
Setting and Context
The story is set in "the very olden time" in a kingdom which is ruled by a "semi-barbaric" king and which has "Latin neighbors" (45).
Narrator and Point of View
The story is told by a third-person omniscient narrator.
Tone and Mood
The tone of the story is humorous. The mood of the story is suspenseful, as it is uncertain whether the princess will choose for her lover to die or to marry another.
Protagonist and Antagonist
The protagonist of the story is the princess, though she is a complex character with both positive and negative attributes. The antagonist of the story might be the king, even though he loves the princess. This is because he does not allow his daughter and the courtier to stay together because he is much below her in status.
Major Conflict
The main conflict in the story is the princess's decision as to whether she will allow her lover to marry another or if she will condemn him to death.
Climax
The story has an open ending, and it never comes to the climax as the reader does not find which door the man has opened, and who stood behind the door.
Foreshadowing
Early in the story, the king is described as “a man of exuberant fancy, and, withal, of an authority so irresistible that, at his will, he turned his varied fancies into facts" (45). This description foreshadows the fact that the king will turn his cruel fantasy of a public arena into reality.
Understatement
Allusions
Imagery
The majority of the imagery in "The Lady, or the Tiger?" is contained in descriptions of the reward or punishment that the prisoner will receive in the arena. It is emphasized that the weddings are celebratory, vibrant, and jubilant affairs with lots of music and participation from the whole kingdom. In contrast, if the prisoner is found guilty and therefore mauled by a tiger, the kingdom watches on in horror as they witness his shrieks and blood.
Paradox
One paradox is the open ending of the story. The princess loves the courtier, but she cannot have him. No matter her choice, she will lose him—either to death or to the arms of another.
Parallelism
Metonymy and Synecdoche
The following passage contains metonymy: “crowds, unable to gain admittance, massed themselves against its outside walls" (49). Here "crowds" is a metonymy for the kingdom's populace.
Personification
The passage “this love affair moved on happily for many months” contains a personification of the love affair and assigns it human emotion (47).
