The Lady or the Tiger

"The Lady or The Tiger Story Performed by Dr. Robert F. Panara 1985 SUMMARY OF PERFORMANCE [summarized by Joan Naturale] This story, The Lady or The Tiger, by Frank Stockton is performed in sign language by Dr. Panara. The story is about a king who set up a system to determine whether a prisoner was guilty or not guilty of a crime. The public was invited to the arena where the king sat on a throne. In front of the throne were two doors. Behind one door was a ferocious tiger, and behind the other, a beautiful lady. The prisoner had to choose a door, and if he chose the tiger, he was mauled to death and determined to be guilty. If he chose the lady, the King would host a wedding feast, as the prisoner was determined to be innocent. The King had a beautiful daughter, a Princess, who fell in love with a handsome man from the lower class. They had a secret relationship for several months until the King found out about it and became angry. He arrested his daughter’s boyfriend and he appeared in the arena to choose a door. The Princess found out what was behind the doors and would give a clue to her boyfriend. The beautiful lady behind the door once showed an interest in the boyfriend. The Princess sat next to her father and moved her hand to the right to indicate the right door to choose for him. What was behind the door? Did the Princess choose the tiger, a quick but brutal and bloody death, or the lady, whom he would marry?"