The story opens with the description of a who lived in "very olden times." He is described as being "semi-barbaric". The barbaric side of him is described as being large and exuberant, and not in control. Due to his total , he got everything he wanted. He had a calm, pleasant nature both when things went his way and when they did not. He was even calmer and more pleasant when things did not go his way, as he got great pleasure from bending things to how he felt that they should be.
The king had a public , and the purpose of this arena was for people to earn their just or reward by an "impartial and incorruptible chance." When a subject was accused of a that caught the king's interest, he gave public notice that the person's fate would be determined in this arena.
The king and his subjects would gather in the arena, where his "barbaric idealism" would be acted out. The accused person would stand in the arena in front of doors, which were side by side. The accused person would choose which door he would open, and he was not given any direction by anyone. Behind one door was a , which would tear him to bits, as punishment for his guilt.
If the accused opened the other door, however, behind it was a beautiful . This lady, who was of a similar and station as the accused, had been hand-selected by the king. The accused was thus exonerated and his reward for his innocence was the immediate to this woman. It was irrelevant whether he had a wife or if his heart already belonged to someone else. The king paid no mind to such "subordinate arrangements" that would otherwise interfere with his "great scheme of retribution and ."
The appeal was supposedly based on the "perfect ," as the accused had no way of knowing which door the tiger would emerge from. Interest was raised by this uncertainty, and it was asked, "Did not the accused have the whole matter in his own hands?"
The king had a daughter with a and energy similar to his own. He loved her above all else. Her lover was more handsome and braver than any other man in the kingdom was, but he came from inferior blood and station. When the king learned of their affair, the lover was thrown in prison and scheduled for trial in the arena. Such a had never occurred in the kingdom before. The king took joy in knowing that the lover would be disposed of either way, and took pleasure in finding out whether the young man "had done wrong in allowing himself to love the ."
On the day of the event, it was crowded with masses coming from everywhere. The signal was given and the lover emerged into the arena. He looked up at the princess, who sat to the right of her . The princess had used her power, character and influence to discover the of the doors, which no person had done before. She knew not only which door the lady was behind, but also who the lady was. The princess hated this woman, who had admired her lover and spoken to him on several occasions.
The lover looked at the princess, and their met. He knew instantly that she knew which door held the tiger and which held the lady, because he knew her personality so well. With his glance, he silently asked her, "which?" She raised her right arm; no one else saw because all were watching the lover. Without the slightest hesitation, he went to the door and opened it.
The narrator does not tell the reader what lay behind the right door. Instead, the narrator states that the more one reflects on this question, the more difficult it is to understand the human . The narrator tells the reader that one should not dwell on what he/she would do, but rather to put themselves in the head of the princess. The narrator describes the princess as hot-blooded and "semi-barbaric," "her soul at a white heat beneath the combine fires of despair and ." While she was horrified at the idea of her lover being torn to in her thoughts, she was also driven to distraction at the thought of seeing his joyous face upon watching the rival lady emerge, his life renewed, the glad shouts of the crowd, and the ringing of the bells. The narrator stated that she would ask herself whether it would be better for him to die now and wait for her in the afterlife. The narrator indicates that the princess had made her after days of anguished deliberation. On the day of reckoning, she was resolute and moved her without hesitation.
The narrator asserts that the question to be pondered is one not likely to be considered. The narrator states that it is not he to "presume" that he is the " person able to answer it." Thus, the story is ended with an open question.