Characters
Character
Analysis
Comprehension
Questions
Comprehension
Questions
100
Who is the creator of the life or death trial?
The king.
100
How is the king described in the story?
He is barbaric, a man of exuberant fancy, and self communing.
100
Why does a life or death trial appeal to the king?
The king felt that holding trials in a public arena made the people of his city "refined and cultured."
100
What does the princess do when the young man is in the arena?
She focuses on waiting for the young man to look at her so she can direct him to the door that will choose his fate. She doesn't think about her decision because she spent the prior days making her decision.
200
Who is the "apple of the king's eye"?
His daughter, the princess.
200
Was the princess similar to or different than her father? Explain.
The princess was similiar to her father because she was also barbaaric. She enjoyed watching the life and death trials, and when it came time for the trial of her lover, she was only thinking of her selfish wants.
200
Why do the kings subjects enjoy the life or death trials?
They enjoyed the trials because he felt that if a crime was truly committed, the accused would be punished and if they were honestly innocent, they would be rewarded.
200
What motive does she have for sends him to death, and what movie does she have for saving him?
She hates the lady that is behind one door, which is her motive for sending him to death. She knows tht if he dies, she will one day be with him. She can not stand to watch him get married to this damsel she can not stand. Her only motive for saving him us the fact that she does love him, and does no want to wach him die in front of her eyes.
300
Who falls in love with the princess?
The courtier, a young, handsome man
300
Why did the young man get out on trial?
The young man, a commoner, was put on trial because he had a secret relationship with the princess without the king's approval.
300
"...doleful bells were longed, great wails were made by the hired mourners posted on the outside if the arena." What do these details tell you about people's views of death and mourning?
This tells us that death was an exaggerated time, and that mourning was a part of entertainment, not a solemn time.
300
In what ways is the king's justice similiar to flipping a coin to determine a decision?
It's similiar to flipping a coin because there are only two choices, an the decision making process is very quick and definitive.
400
Who does the princess absolutely despise of?
One of the most beautiful damsels of the court, the maiden who was behind one of the doors of the princess' lover's trial.
400
The king did not care if a person on trial was married. If the accused chose the door with the lady behind it, they were to be married at that moment. What does this tell us about the king's character?
It tells us that the king is extremely selfish and only cares about his own pleasure, regardless of the lives he disrupts and people he hurts.
400
Summarize the king's "semi barbaric method of administerng justice."
If one was accused of a crime by the king's standards, the accused was sent into an arena filled with people of the city. There we two doors- one with a vicious tiger behind it, and the other with a beautiful woman behind it. If the person was guilty, they'd likely choose the door with the tiger and be punished (killed) for their crime. If they were innocent, they'd be rewarded with a marriage to a beautiful woman.
400
If you were in the young man's position, would you have trusted the princess' direction? Why or why not? Do you think he knew which door she would lead him to, considering he "understood her nature"?
Answers will vary.
500
What animal was behind the other door in the trial?
A vicious tiger.
500
Do you think the young men trusts the princess? Why or why not?
Answers will vary.
500
At what point in the story does the climax occur?
The climax of the story occurs at the end. The entire story leads us up to the point where the young man is about to open e door that the princess directed him to, which is at the very end.
500
Based on what you read about the princess, who do you think came out of the door that the princess direct her young lover toward? Explain.
Answers will vary.
M
e
n
u