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“In the very olden time there lived a semi-barbaric king, whose ideas, though somewhat polished and sharpened by the progressiveness of distant Latin neighbors, were still large, florid, and untrammeled, as became the half of him which was barbaric.”

This introduction sets the story in a time long ago and gives a sense of the type of society that is involved. The mention of “Latin” neighbors is a reference to ancient Rome, which, though distant, is well-known enough to have some influence on the king. Here, it is suggested that the kingdom also has some ties to the ancient Germanic people known as “barbarians.” 

“When all the people had assembled in the galleries, and the king, surrounded by his court, sat high up on his throne of royal state on one side of the arena, he gave a signal, a door beneath him opened, and the accused subject stepped out into the amphitheater. Directly opposite him, on the other side of the inclosed space, were two doors, exactly alike and side by side.”

This quote describes the arena, which is the setting for the main action of the story. It paints a picture in which the king sits in a throne high above both the audience and the proceedings, with a clear view and the protection of his court. The audience in the galleries is also separated from the potential violence of the outcome. The area’s setting resembles the Roman coliseum, which housed the famous gladiator battles of Rome, but here it is simplified for the king’s form of justice.

“Another door opened beneath the king, and a priest, followed by a band of choristers, and dancing maidens blowing joyous airs on golden horns and treading an epithalamic measure, advanced to where the pair stood, side by side, and the wedding was promptly and cheerily solemnized.”

Though the arena’s main two doors, which conceal the lady and the tiger, have already been introduced, the narrator now reveals that the arena has a third door. Behind this door, a priest and revelers await an innocent verdict. If the lady's door is chosen, these revelers come out and conduct an immediate marriage ceremony. The absurdity of such merriment in such an ominous setting contributes to the humorous tone of the story.

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