The Lady or the Tiger?

The Lady or the Tiger? Metaphors and Similes

The blooming princess (simile)

"This semi-barbaric king had a daughter as blooming as his most florid fancies, and with a soul as fervent and imperious as his own" (47).

The simile above compares the princess' growth into puberty (in other words, her "blooming") to her father's "most florid fancies." This creates a close bond between the character of the princess and the character of the king, who are very similar to each other in personality. It also emphasizes the sheer beauty of the princess at this period in her life, as she is "blooming" like a flower. Just as the king's fancies have no bounds, neither, it seems, does the princess's beauty at this period in her life.

The king's love for the princess (metaphor)

"She was the apple of his eye, and was loved by him above all humanity" (47)

This metaphor compares the princess to the "apple of [the king's] eye." "The apple of my eye" is a common American idiom used to describe someone that is extremely precious to the speaker. It is used metaphorically to describe the impression that someone is more valuable than anyone else in the eyes of the beholder.

The lady's imprudence (Metaphor)

“The girl was lovely, but she had dared to raise her eyes to the loved one of the princess; and, with all the intensity of the savage blood transmitted to her through long lines of wholly barbaric ancestors, she hated the woman who blushed and trembled behind that silent door" (49).

In this metaphor, the lady's admiration of the princess's lover is described metaphorically as her "rais[ing] her eyes to the loved one of the princess." It can be assumed that this lady did not literally raise her eyes to look upon the youth. Rather, she metaphorically looked with interest towards the courtier, who is being placed on a pedestal by the princess.