# Which was it - the Lady or the Tiger? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 15, 2005, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-was-it-the-lady-or-the-tiger/312655 "2005-07-15T15:03:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2005, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-was-it-the-lady-or-the-tiger/312655/1 "2005-07-15T15:03:07Z")
Have we done this on the boards before? Who’s read it and which one did she pick? ---
**Author:** ![Izzybella](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e56c9b/32.png) [@Izzybella](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Izzybella)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2005, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-was-it-the-lady-or-the-tiger/312655/2 "2005-07-15T15:06:00Z")
I think it was the tiger. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2005, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-was-it-the-lady-or-the-tiger/312655/3 "2005-07-15T15:07:25Z")
Not enough information is given in the story to know. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2005, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-was-it-the-lady-or-the-tiger/312655/4 "2005-07-15T15:09:00Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > Not enough information is given in the story to know. That’s a copout response! 😉 OK - which would \*you \* pick in the same situation? ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2005, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-was-it-the-lady-or-the-tiger/312655/5 "2005-07-15T15:12:46Z")
> [@](#): > > Quote: > Originally Posted by Revtim > Not enough information is given in the story to know. > That’s a copout response! OK - which would you pick in the same situation? Copout, my foot! It’s the factual and correct response. My choice? Easy – I’d choose the Lady. Even thouggh I mighht get clawed to death. ---
**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2005, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-was-it-the-lady-or-the-tiger/312655/6 "2005-07-15T15:25:25Z")
> [@Izzybella](#): > > I think it was the tiger. Of course it was. There’s nothing more capricious and evil than a woman. -Joe, just plain evil ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2005, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-was-it-the-lady-or-the-tiger/312655/7 "2005-07-15T15:27:09Z")
I think he picked Door Number 3 and got a lovely living room suite and color TV. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2005, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-was-it-the-lady-or-the-tiger/312655/8 "2005-07-15T15:27:40Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Copout, my foot! It’s the factual and correct response. Factual and correct is not always fun! ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2005, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-was-it-the-lady-or-the-tiger/312655/9 "2005-07-15T15:29:20Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > Factual and correct is not always fun! The fun comes from not knowing! ---
**Author:** ![JasonG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@JasonG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JasonG)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2005, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-was-it-the-lady-or-the-tiger/312655/10 "2005-07-15T16:01:30Z")
Just read the original story, by Frank Stockton. He sure likes the term “semi-barbaric.” I never knew the exact meaning of phrase. I figured a knight was in the arena, and had two choices – a beautiful lady or a tiger. One choice is clearly better than the other. But in the actual story, the chooser is the princess, and both choices are bad. Personally, I can’t believe the princess would choose the tiger. If she really loved the guy, and his love was true, and he didn’t _want_ to marry another, wouldn’t she give up her personal happiness to let him live? I mean, yeah, she’d hate to see him marry somebody else, but isn’t a little heartbreak better than sending a completely innocent man to his death? It’s lady, people. It’s got to be. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2005, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-was-it-the-lady-or-the-tiger/312655/11 "2005-07-15T16:01:53Z")
Can those of us who don’t know what this is about get some background information? Please? ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2005, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-was-it-the-lady-or-the-tiger/312655/12 "2005-07-15T16:08:33Z")
> [@JasonG](#): > > Personally, I can’t believe the princess would choose the tiger. If she really loved the guy, and his love was true, and he didn’t _want_ to marry another, wouldn’t she give up her personal happiness to let him live? I mean, yeah, she’d hate to see him marry somebody else, but isn’t a little heartbreak better than sending a completely innocent man to his death? Have you ever actually met any women? I kid, I kid. But I think many people, both men and women, would rather see the lover that spurned/cheated them dead. ---
**Author:** ![JasonG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@JasonG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JasonG)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2005, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-was-it-the-lady-or-the-tiger/312655/13 "2005-07-15T16:13:29Z")
But he didn’t spurn her! His only “crime” is daring to love the princess! He doesn’t want to marry the other woman; that’s just the way the king’s crazy, semi-barbaric justice system works. Gather 'round, kids. It’s story time: [http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/LadyTige.shtml](http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/LadyTige.shtml) ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2005, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-was-it-the-lady-or-the-tiger/312655/14 "2005-07-15T16:14:58Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > But I think many people, both men and women, would rather see the lover that spurned/cheated them dead. As you all might have guessed, I hadn’t read the story in a while. I just refreshed my memory with a summary, and I see there was no spurning or cheating. Do’h. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2005, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-was-it-the-lady-or-the-tiger/312655/15 "2005-07-15T16:19:56Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > That’s a copout response! 😉 OK - which would \*you \* pick in the same situation? With a clearer memory of the story in mind, I know I would pick the lady (or guy, in the case of me choosing for my female lover). I’d guess the princess in the story would too. If she had cheated on me or spurned me, I have to admit my mind may not be clear enough to not choose the tiger. Which I’d feel real bad about, later. ---
**Author:** ![sciguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@sciguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciguy)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2005, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-was-it-the-lady-or-the-tiger/312655/16 "2005-07-15T16:41:29Z")
> [@JasonG](#): > > Just read the original story, by Frank Stockton. He sure likes the term “semi-barbaric.” It’s been a long, long time since I read it, so I followed your link. I have to admit “Among the borrowed notions by which his barbarism had become semified…” is a neat turn of phrase. 🙂 As cruel as it sounds, I’m going to have to go with the tiger. On the one hand, he really was “guilty” of the crime he was accused of (a commoner loving and carrying on with the princess). The tiger would be a quick (though painful) death, with the hope of rejoining in the afterlife (let’s accept this as a given in their beliefs). The lady would be either a slow agonizing life for the lover or (possibly worse from the princess’s point of view) he would come to accept and love his new wife, leaving the princess behind. Both options bring hurt onto the princess for the rest of her life, the tiger ends his hurt shortly with the hope of reconcilliation, the lady either hurts him for a prolonged period or loses him. {note: this is just what I think the _princess_ would do given the little info we have about her, not necessarily what I would do in the princess’s place, which would require a whole 'nother evaluation which I don’t have the energy for right now} ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Rieux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Dr.Rieux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Rieux)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2005, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-was-it-the-lady-or-the-tiger/312655/17 "2005-07-15T17:13:20Z")
It was Schrodinger’s Tiger. ---
**Author:** ![Snickers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Snickers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snickers)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2005, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-was-it-the-lady-or-the-tiger/312655/18 "2005-07-15T17:15:38Z")
Well, if _I_ were the princess, absolutely I’d direct my lover to the lady. I love my husband, dearly, and have no wish to live without him, but if it’s a choice between his life with another and his death, it’s really no choice at all. Even if it means I’ll never see him again; at least he will live. But I’m not the jealous type. I don’t think we’re supposed to figure out what the princess would do - that’s the genius of the story. It asks: what would you do? ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2005, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-was-it-the-lady-or-the-tiger/312655/19 "2005-07-15T17:17:59Z")
> [@Finagle](#): > > I think he picked Door Number 3 and got a lovely living room suite and color TV. You forgot the Barcalounger, & the lifetime supply of Rice-A-Roni, the San Francisco Treat. And the copy of the Home Game. (Barbie Doll & Live Kitten Not Included.) ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2005, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-was-it-the-lady-or-the-tiger/312655/20 "2005-07-15T17:26:04Z")
We read that story in high school, and had to do a paper on what we thought was behind the door the princess, gestured to. I picked the lady. I figured that even though the princess would be jealous, at least the guy would be alive. And the lady could always be bumped off, leaving the princess free to have her man again. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-was-it-the-lady-or-the-tiger/312655.md?page=2)