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The tone of the story is darkly comical. The king is described as being partially barbaric and partially refined, but his whims seem to dictate all that goes on in his kingdom. He sees no trouble in consulting only himself for the decrees and laws of the kingdom. In a humorous tone, the narrator says that the king mostly agrees with himself on matters of state. This humorous tone drives the beginning of the story’s plot forward. The king’s daughter is involved in a scandal, but the king will not alter his system of justice for anyone, not even for his own daughter and her lover. He sends the young man into the arena despite his daughter’s involvement. He even reasons that his problem will be solved either way. Either the young man will be dead, or he will be married to someone other than the princess. The tone becomes darker, however, when the lover’s fate is left in the hands of the princess. She is jealous of the lady who waits behind one of the doors, and so she may send her lover to his death. This outcome seems impossible, but in a setting like this ridiculous kingdom, perhaps anything is possible. The king and the princess are portrayed humorously, as neither the king’s whimsy nor the princess’s jealousy should be a determiner of death. In a dark twist, the narrator leaves it up to the reader to decide whether the actions of these characters have led to the young man’s demise.

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