"The Lady or the Tiger?" Teaching Ideas

In "The Lady or the Tiger?" the reader never knows the ending.

"The Lady or the Tiger?," written by Frank Stockton, describes a kingdom where a "semi-barbaric" king deals out his own form of justice. When a person commits a crime, he enters an arena and must open one of two doors. Behind one door there is a vicious tiger; behind the other, a beautiful lady. If he chooses the tiger, he dies; if he chooses the lady, he is married immediately. This story provides many ideas for lessons.

Journal Entries

Before reading the story, have students write a journal entry on the basic nature of human beings. Students should discuss whether they feel people are basically good or if people's true natures are a bit darker. Discuss the entries with the class to prepare them for the moral decision that "The Lady or the Tiger?" deals with in its story line. Have a student come up and write the consensus of the class, as well as the examples the students gave in their entries, on the board.

Character Profile

Read the story and complete a character profile on both the King and his daughter, the princess. Students should find quotes from the story to support their analysis of character. Once students finish their lists of quotes, general descriptions should be written to synthesize the relevant quotations. Students should find that both the King and his daughter are somewhat civilized but have a "ferocity" to their characters that draws them to the kind of spectacle that the arena provides. The theme of the passing down of family traits emerges, as well as the concept of selfishness.

Finish the Ending

"The Lady or the Tiger?" does not have an ending. The author asks the reader to decide and states that no simple answer can be found. Students must decide for themselves if the princess, who has found out what is behind the two doors, directs her lover to the door with the tiger or the door with the lady. The question becomes, Does the princess love the man enough to let him live but watch another woman be with the man she loves, or would she rather see him killed so no one else can have him? Students should write their own endings using supporting evidence from the story.

Hold a Debate

Students can then share their endings with the class. Pick a few students to present their endings. Each student should include a rationale as to why he chose the door with the lady or the tiger. After all the students selected have made their presentations, the teacher can lead a debate in the class. Whose ending seemed more realistic? What does the majority of the class think happened and why? Which did the lover choose, the lady or the tiger?