The Lady or the Tiger vs. Gladiator: Justice and Spectacle

Introduction: Two Stories of Spectacle and Justice

Frank Stockton's "The Lady or the Tiger?" centers on a young man — the forbidden lover of a princess — who is sentenced to a trial by ordeal. In front of thousands of onlookers, he must choose between two doors. Behind one waits a tiger; behind the other waits a lovely maiden. Only the princess herself possesses the knowledge that will save her lover's life, though in doing so she will send him into the arms of another woman. Stockton leaves whether or not she saves her lover entirely to the reader's imagination.

The film Gladiator also revolves around public spectacle and matters of justice and injustice. The main character, Maximus, a respected general and loyal subject of the Roman Empire, has been betrayed by Commodus, the Emperor. Sold into slavery and his family murdered, Maximus longs for revenge. He is forced to become a gladiator and use his strength to kill for the amusement of the mobs. At first he resists this role, but his master — a former gladiator — reminds him that if he can win the people to his side, he will be invincible. Maximus takes the advice to heart. When he is brought to fight at the Colosseum in Rome, he comes face-to-face with his old enemy Commodus. Commodus longs to have him killed, but Maximus is too popular for Commodus to risk it. Eventually, Maximus is able to avenge himself, though he does so at the cost of his own life.

"The Lady or the Tiger?" and Gladiator share many similarities. Both utilize public spectacle as a way to control and soothe the citizens of a country; both address betrayal or the possibility of betrayal; and both involve a tyrant who arbitrarily wields the power of life and death over his citizens. However, the two works are by no means completely alike. Whereas the princess's hapless lover in "The Lady or the Tiger?" faces a harsh but essentially fair trial, the challenges Commodus constructs for Maximus offer only the appearance of fairness — in truth, every contest is heavily stacked against him. Another difference lies in the characters' relationships with others: all of the characters in "The Lady or the Tiger?" are primarily concerned with themselves, while the protagonists in Gladiator are often more concerned with the well-being of others or with the greater good of Rome. Finally, "The Lady or the Tiger?" is deliberately ambiguous throughout, while Gladiator is not.

Public Spectacle as Political Control

Both the short story and the film utilize spectacle to entertain and appease the masses. It is worth noting that Stockton's father was a strict, conservative Methodist minister who disapproved of all forms of light entertainment. Although Stockton himself became a popular writer, some of his father's inherent suspicion of games and spectacles appears to have crept into his work (Golemba 18).

Stockton explains the perfection of the king's method of justice in "The Lady or the Tiger?" as follows: "Thus the masses were entertained and pleased, and the thinking part of the community could bring no charge of unfairness against this plan; for did not the accused person have the whole matter in his own hands?" (70). Gladiator director Ridley Scott also shows how the arena games frequently served political motives (Scott 9). Commodus, for instance, proposes sponsoring 150 days of games after his senators chide him for not doing more to end an epidemic that has broken out. When one senator speculates this tactic will make Commodus a laughingstock, another replies, "I think he knows what Rome is. Rome's the mob. … He'll bring them death, and they will love him for it."

Ironically, Commodus's plan leads to the elevation of Maximus as a hero of the people — a man so popular that even Commodus cannot touch him. Writer David Franzoni elaborates: "The most powerful man in Rome suddenly realizes his nemesis is a sports superstar in the very arena he has created to keep himself in power — and the crowd says 'thumbs up.' The Emperor can't do a damn thing about it" (qtd. in Soriano).

The Theme of Betrayal

Both the short story and the film deal with the theme of betrayal. In "The Lady or the Tiger?" the betrayal is not a certainty — it is one of two possible endings. The reader never learns whether the princess sends her lover to his death rather than see him wed another woman. Interestingly, Stockton gives no hint that the lover himself suspects the princess is capable of betrayal. She tells him which door to open, and he opens it without hesitation.

In Gladiator, the betrayal is specific. Lucilla, the sister of Commodus, has been helping Maximus plan his escape and his bid to lead his army against the Emperor. She breaks down and confides the plot to her brother. The viewer cannot help but sympathize with her, however. Unlike the princess, who is ready to betray her lover out of jealousy, Lucilla betrays Maximus because Commodus has threatened the life of her young son.

Works Cited

Gladiator. Screenplay by David Franzoni. Dir. Ridley Scott. Perf. Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Oliver Reed. Dreamworks Distribution LLC, 2000.

Golemba, Henry L. Frank R. Stockton. Boston, MA: Twayne Publishers, 1981.

Scott, Ridley. Introduction. Gladiator: The Making of the Ridley Scott Epic. By Sharon Black. Ed. Diana Landau. New York, NY: Newmarket Press, 2000. 7–9.

Soriano, John. "WGA.ORG's Exclusive Interview with David Franzoni." WGA.ORG. 2001. 10 March 2002.

Stockton, Frank. "The Lady or the Tiger." The Best Short Stories of Frank R. Stockton. New York, NY: Charles Scribner's Sons. 68–73.