Justice is a matter of perspective.

In this story, the king’s perspective dictates what justice means for those accused of crimes. Rather than rely on evidence or witnesses, a person’s guilt or innocence is left up to chance. This is the whim of the king and no one else. Therefore, justice is entirely decided by the king. He rules with absolute power and sets up his arena to dole out justice as he sees fit. Even though the king’s meting of justice is ultimately left up to chance, it is the king’s will and his own idea about what justice means that decide the accused’s fate. 

But justice is also in the hands of the princess. Though his guilt or innocence isn’t truly in question, the princess will ultimately decide her lover’s fate. Her role shows that justice is also a matter of her perspective, not just the king’s. Will she choose the lady or the tiger? The audience is not meant to know. But she knows, and therefore justice is in her hands. Whichever door she chooses will result in justice in her eyes, though not necessarily in the eyes of her lover or even the king. This story tells how justice is a matter of perspective, be it the perspective of the king or the princess.

Jealousy can influence major decisions.

Whether or not the princess chooses death for her lover, her jealousy plays a major role in this important decision. One would think the choice would be obvious: She would choose to save her lover’s life. But this may not be so, due to her envy. She knows the lady behind the second door and does not like her. She has imagined her lover and the lady married and cannot stand the thought of it. What’s more, she has noticed the lady and her lover exchanging glances and kind words to each other at the king’s court. Could it be that she would rather see her lover die than be married to another? This is the question the story ultimately asks. Either way, jealousy plays a major role. She has the barbarous heart of her father and could easily choose death for her lover. It would make a certain kind of sense to her. If she cannot have him, she wants no one else to have him. Her jealousy may affect the outcome of the trial, and the audience is not meant to know if it will. But regardless of the decision she makes, jealousy has played a major role in her decision.

Some things in life are up to chance.

The king’s form of justice shows how sometimes chance dictates the outcome of major events in a person’s life. In this kingdom, the power of chance is spelled out directly, but in our own lives too, much is up to chance. Surely human beings have the power to affect the outcome of many things in life, but not everything. Sickness can come to anyone. Death can come swiftly. This story points out metaphorically that events in life are not always within our control. Ultimately, the story is a metaphor about the role of chance in our lives. People may be judged for their actions at one point or another, but that judgment may not be rational. It may be a product of chance. Even the actions of the princess, who possesses knowledge of what is behind each door, are to some degree left up to chance. Her decision about whether or not to let her lover live is still somewhat out of her control. Her jealousy demands one course of action, but her love demands another. She is not sure which will win out. Perhaps her decision is made by pure chance, as the king intended. For her lover, at least, things are certainly left up to chance. He does not know what awaits him behind the door she indicates. For him, as for all of us, some things are left up to chance.