Why does a life or death trial appeal to the king?

The king in Stockton's "The Lady, or the Tiger?" is described as semi-barbaric. This means that he is somewhat uncivilized and unsophisticated. One might say he enjoys participating in events that show the raw nature of human beings. He is also described as a man with "exuberant fancy," which means that he is overflowing with imagination. Add these characteristic traits play into the fact that he believes that justice should be swiftly executed and it can...

The king in Stockton's "The Lady, or the Tiger?" is described as semi-barbaric. This means that he is somewhat uncivilized and unsophisticated. One might say he enjoys participating in events that show the raw nature of human beings. He is also described as a man with "exuberant fancy," which means that he is overflowing with imagination. Add these characteristic traits play into the fact that he believes that justice should be swiftly executed and it can be understood how he comes up with Chance deciding criminals' fates in his arena. For example, the king loves the "poetic justice" satisfied by the two-door trial, as well as "by the decrees of an impartial and incorruptible chance." He feels that Chance is incorruptible; that is to say, that other trials that take long periods of time showing evidence and listening to witnesses are overrated and corruptible. This is ironic because the king expects this way of sentencing people to be a pure way to enact justice, but it's his daughter who eventually corrupts it.

Furthermore, because he is semi-barbaric, only extremes will do. A king who invites extremism would not be satisfied with anything less than a life or death trial. For him, there is no inbetween--it's either life or death because one consequence is full of life and joy, and the other is a death engulfed in violence and pain. In addition to the extremism, this way of presenting trials also provides entertainment for himself as well as for his subjects.  It is suffice to say, for this question, though, that the king believes his arena is the best way to provide Chance an opportunity to either claim or reward a victim.