Scene/Setting : Introduction and connection to original text. Emotion/Tone : Anticipatory Narration : “We all know the story of the Lady or the Tiger written by Frank Stockton, but many of us do not know what really happened at the conclusion of this tale. Did the courtier choose the door with the Tiger, or the fair maiden? Which door did the princess direct her lover to? Did she choose to love him unconditionally, or send him to his death? This is the end of the story that is often left untold.” Possible music/sound effects : Something classical – low in background. Image : Additional Notes : Focus in on princess’ face.
Transcript
Scene/Setting:Introduction and connection to original text.
Emotion/Tone:Anticipatory
Narration: “We all know the story of the Lady or the Tiger written by Frank Stockton, but many of us do not know what really happened at the conclusion of this tale. Did the courtier choose the door with the Tiger, or the fair maiden? Which door did the princess direct her lover to? Did she choose to love him unconditionally, or send him to his death? This is the end of the story that is often left untold.”
Possible music/sound effects:Something classical – low in
background.
Image:
Additional Notes:Focus in on princess’
face.
Scene/Setting:Courtier enters colosseum.
Emotion/Tone:Suspenseful/questioning
Narration: “As the courtier entered the Colosseum he looked up to the princess with a quick and anxious glance asking the question: "Which?" It was as plain to her as if he shouted it from where he stood. There was not an instant to be lost. The question was asked in a flash; it must be answered in another.”
Possible music/sound effects:
Classical and suspensefulImage:
Additional Notes:Focus in on courtier’s
face.
Scene/Setting:Courtier kneels to contemplate his decision.
Emotion/Tone:Suspenseful/questioning
Narration: “The princess, being her semi-barbaric self, confidently directed her lover towards the door of the tiger. His eyes shifted away from hers as he proceeded towards the immense door that held the tiger. Then he stopped, causing confusion throughout the audience. He stood in the arena for a few minutes, self-communing, about whether or not to trust the princess. “
Possible music/sound effects:
Classical and suspenseful
Image:
Additional Notes:Focus in on courtier’s
face.
Scene/Setting:Colosseum
Emotion/Tone:Suspenseful
Narration: “Finally, he remembered her vulgar nature, and started towards the opposite door, an untrammeled spirit emanating from his very existence.”
Possible music/sound effects:
Classical and suspenseful
Image:
Additional Notes:Focus in on princess’
face.
Scene/Setting:Colosseum/opening door
Emotion/Tone:Suspenseful
Narration: “He clasped the latch of the door and pulled it towards himself, no doubt in his nature that the door held the maiden.”
Possible music/sound effects:
Classical and suspenseful
Image:
Additional Notes:Focus in on courtier’s
hand.
Scene/Setting:Colosseum/revelation of the maiden
Emotion/Tone:Excitement
Narration: “Right there, appeared from the darkness the fairest maiden in all the land, wearing a florid white gown. She was the moon in the night sky that he looked up to and fell in love with at first sight. The lady stared at him, an exuberant look flashed across her face, as her joyous expression brought great distress to the princess.
Possible music/sound effects:
Classical and happy
Image:
Additional Notes:Focus in on the maiden’s face.
Scene/Setting:Colosseum/revelation of the maiden
Emotion/Tone:Sadness/Confusion
Narration: “As the lover pulled the maiden into his warm embrace, the audience screeched in ardor as the princess’ grievous shrieks melted into the crowd’s cheers. The princess cried loudly as he walked away with his new bride; children threw flowers in front of them, leading the couple to their new life together. As they
walked away, even the trees seemed to bow down in respect and joy for them, their leaves rustling with excitement.”
Possible music/sound effects:
Classical and suspenseful
Image:
Additional Notes:Focus in on the princess’ face.
Scene/Setting:Maiden and Courtier (lover)
Emotion/Tone:Happiness
Narration: “As the years passed by, the lover and the maiden’s love grew like a warm and kindled flame.”
Possible music/sound effects:
ClassicalImage:
Additional Notes:Only a quick image
close up.
Scene/Setting:Princess contemplating
Emotion/Tone:Anger/Revenge
Narration: “The princess had spent months mourning and plotting her revenge against the maiden, biding her time for the right moment to swoop down and take what was rightfully hers. Her heart was full of
darkness, except for the one minuscule bright lights in the deepest corner of her heart, her love for this man, which at her moments of plotting revenge was being swallowed by the darkness of the jealousy
around it.”
Possible music/sound effects:
Classical and suspenseful
Image:
Additional Notes:
Scene/Setting:Maiden dies in courtier (lover’s) arms from poison
Emotion/Tone:Sorrow
Narration: “At the break of dawn, the lover returned to his humble abode and to his lovely bride, being the bearer of good news of a ripe harvest. When he entered his room , he found his beautiful wife writhing in pain, a mere image of what she used to be. The lover bent down,
and asked in a whisper, “Is this it? After all of our years together?” The maiden responded weakly, “I-I-I be-believe so… my dear…. I-I-I love you dearly. M-my-y killer was…” “Who, my dear? Who was it?” cried the lover, but it was too late. She was gone, beyond the grave in the duration of a heartbeat. As he bent down to close her eyes, he noticed a vial that consisted of a poison that was hard for any mere human to obtain, which was only to be found in the outskirts of the kingdom. Despite the pang of grief in his chest, the lover ceaselessly wondered who could have carried out
this devious task. He finally remembered, after all of those months, when he chose to disregard the princess’s orders on that grim day in the arena.”
Narration: “Surely, the lover thought to himself, the princess must be seeking her revenge on me. I must discover a way to discuss the matter with her before her ruthless behavior takes its
turn on me. His eyes suddenly narrowed and a gruesome smile crept across his face as he thought of the perfect place to meet the princess. “Would it not be best to stop this right
where it ended; the root of our problems?” he asked himself.”
Possible music/sound effects:
Sad and tragicImage:
Additional Notes:Focus on his eyes
Scene/Setting:Princess reads her letter – goes back to Colosseum.
Emotion/Tone:Suspense
Narration: “That very night, the princess discovered an anonymous letter at the gates of the castle demanding her presence at the Colosseum. She thought, Who could this be? That night she arrived at the colosseum to meet the writer of
the letter, only to find another letter near the doors of which the tiger or the maiden emerges, this one saying: Behind one of these doors is nothing, which will allow you to walk away unharmed. Behind the other door lies the most
ferocious of all the tigers in the land. Choose a door to decide your fate. I am watching you. If you do not choose a door, I will see you for the coward you are and come to deal with you myself.”
Possible music/sound effects:
Classical and suspenseful
Image:
Additional Notes:
Scene/Setting:Princess returns to Colosseum.
Emotion/Tone:Suspense
Narration: “The princess, not knowing what to do, just stood there like a still, solitary tree. Unexpectedly, something grabbed her! She screamed in fright as she turned around to see her lover, displaying a
grim look upon his face as he demanded, “Choose a door, or I will choose one for you.” The princess remained stiff, as she was not expecting to be in this position after all of the years she had witnessed countless victims’ fate be
decided in this arena. .”
Possible music/sound effects:Soft….consider music from Gladiator – “The Wheat”
Image:
Additional Notes:
Scene/Setting:Princess returns to Colosseum.
Emotion/Tone:Suspense
Narration: “Then, the lover proceeded towards both of the doors and pushed them open.”
Possible music/sound effects:
Image:
Additional Notes:
Scene/Setting:Princess returns to Colosseum.
Emotion/Tone:Terror
Narration: “A ferocious looking tiger emerged from the doors, growling fiercely. The princess jumped in fright and exclaimed, “Wait!”
The lover commanded the tigers to halt and glared at her with a cold stare as he muttered, “What do you want? You told me to go to the door of the tiger and then, years later when you should have gotten over my betrayal, you poisoned my wife and murdered her in cold blood. Why should I listen to what you have to say when you act as if you have a heart of
stone?’ “
Possible music/sound effects:
Image:
Additional Notes:
Scene/Setting:Princess returns to Colosseum.
Emotion/Tone:Tension/Anger
Narration: ““I still love you and I always will for eternities to come. No matter what you do, I will always come back to you,” she explained as she finally realized the weight of the conversation. She continued, “My love for you is an eternal flame that will never just blow away like a candle in the middle of the night. I refuse to just fade away into the darkness that I emerged from.”
The lover, self-communing over his options in this situation, grabbed her by the neck and replied, “I have attempted once to love you too, my darling. It is impossible for me to forget you; to me, that would be like giving up my own life and my very existence.’ “
Possible music/sound effects:
Image:
Additional Notes:
Scene/Setting:Princess is stabbed by courtier (her former lover).
Emotion/Tone:Shock
Narration: “As they pulled each other into a warm embrace, the princess felt a sharp jab in the middle of her back, a sharp jolt of pain pulsing through her body, unaware of the knife that was stabbed deep into her back. The princess felt the blood rushing out of her as
her ears started to close and she lost the support of her legs. Her intricate, delicate dress was dripping with blood as her whole body became painted in red. A rancid smell arose into the air as each drop fell to the ground of the dreary arena, the moonlight illuminating them like miniature rubies falling to the ground, as the princess lost every trace of her life and all her promised years of riches slipped away. The
princess slid lifelessly to the ground, still in the lover’s embrace as a single tear of guilt and pain escaped her eye. The lover collapsed on the ground, covered in the warm, sticky blood of the princess mourning over what he had just done. “
Possible music/sound effects:
Image:
Additional Notes:
Scene/Setting:Colosseum
Emotion/Tone:Thoughtful
Narration: “That’s when a thought began to grow in his mind. If the Colosseum had ruined his life, would it not be best to ruin the Colosseum so that lives of others that were condemned to this fate
could be saved?”
Possible music/sound effects:
Image:
Additional Notes:Zoom out on image
Scene/Setting:Colosseum/fighting tiger
Emotion/Tone:suspenseful
Narration: “The lover marched toward the tiger with ambition in his eyes, and decided he would kill him. He fought the tiger with all his strength, shifting, lunging towards him as he fought to destroy the beast that had killed so many already. After what seemed like an eternity, the courtier unlatched the chains that encircled the tiger and dragged it across the Colosseum until it reached the entrance of the
vast arena. He lifted it up from the neck and fashioned the rope into a noose. He hung the tiger on the door of the Colosseum so that its blood would glint at the break of dawn and be the first thing that every inhabitant of the kingdom saw. He then gently placed the princess’ carcass next to the tiger and shut her eyes gently. He would stand and fight for the people who witnessed the unjust form of punishment
that the semi-barbaric king enforced by making a statement. The Colosseum had ruined too many lives to go unpunished.”
Possible music/sound effects:
Classical and suspenseful
Image:
Additional Notes:
Scene/Setting:Colosseum/Kingdom
Emotion/Tone:suspenseful
Narration: “As daylight emerged, the lover stood beside the princess’s body and waited for judgment. As more villagers entered the arena, a murmur rose throughout the crowd. A rumor about the
princess’ death spread across the kingdom and once the barbaric king caught wind of this, his anger surpassed that of anything he had ever felt before.”
Possible music/sound effects:Need music that emphasizes
sound of crowd.
Image:
Additional Notes:
Scene/Setting:Colosseum/King enters
Emotion/Tone:Suspense
Narration: “When he reached the Colosseum and saw his beloved daughter he buckled on to his knees. The villagers suddenly gasped at the sight of their barbaric king acting as if he were powerless. After a few moments of gathering his thoughts and feeling the king
once again stood up high and mighty. He announced to his people, “The murderer of my daughter must be brought to justice.” The king then announced that the execution of the lover would take place immediately. By the afternoon, the Colosseum that day was packed with
villagers who anticipated the worst for the princess’ former lover. No one had ever witnesses a crowd this massive. The king personally brought down the rope and placed it around the lover’s neck; an act most kings would never take place in.”
Possible music/sound effects:Music that is buildingImage:
Additional Notes:
Scene/Setting:Colosseum/Courtier’s last words
Emotion/Tone:Suspense
Narration: “The lover confidently announced without acknowledging the king, “The time to change is now. Stand up and fight for your freedom. THIS IS NOT JUSTICE. THIS IS MASS MURDER. It is unjust for this king to kill us as if we’re his pawns in one of his chess games. It is not fair for this king to stick whomever he accuses of committing a crime in this horrid place to
find out our fate by choice as entertainment. I would rather be executed than continue to live under such conditions.” The king was flabbergasted by the lover’s point of view as he tightened the rope around the lover’s neck. The man who slaughtered his daughter rambled about justice and took his last breath while he died beside the princess at the entrance of the Colosseum.”
Possible music/sound effects:Music that is building –
consider music from Gladiator.
Image:
Additional Notes:
Scene/Setting:Colosseum
Emotion/Tone:Thoughtful
Narration: “The courtier made his final point and the king may have had his revenge, but the damage was already done. A seed of doubt had been planted in the peoples’ thoughts and they had begun
questioning the king’s morals and their trust in their barbaric leader. The King never got to use the Colosseum after that day. The courtier’s words had initiated riots within the kingdom that not even the
King’s guards could control.
Possible music/sound effects:
Perhaps sound of victory?Image:
Additional Notes:Zoom out
Scene/Setting:Closing
Emotion/Tone:Inspiring
Narration: “Alas, the semi-barbaric king was gone, but the revolution had just begun.”
Possible music/sound effects:
End on a high noteImage:
Additional Notes:Zoom out – circle transitionREVOLUTION
