In the exposition of Frank Stockton's short story, "The Lady or the Tiger," the original third person narrator (it would change to first person at the end) informs the reader that this story is set in a "very olden time" in a supposedly mythical kingdom, although he does mention that the kingdom had "Latin neighbors" which suggests it was somewhere either near Italy or Greece and Turkey (the Latin Empire was set up around the city of Constantinople by Crusaders in the 13th century), though it is impossible to identify the reference exactly. In any case, this kingdom is ruled by a "semi-barbaric" king who has complete control ("authority so irresistible"). This semi-barbarism seems to refer to the fact that the king has ideas which are partly civilized but also contain savage elements. It plays itself out in the king's arena of justice. The arena is described as a "vast amphitheater" with "encircling galleries" and "mysterious vaults." Men who stand accused of some crime are taken to the arena where they are given the choice of two doors. Behind one door is a tiger which leaps forward and kills the man. Behind the other door is a lady who quickly becomes the man's wife, whether he already has a wife or not. The trial by arena is popular with the king's subjects and is considered both fair and "incorruptible." Soon, however, the king's daughter is introduced and the story moves forward.
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