The Tiger King is one of the most thought-provoking stories in the Class 12 English Flamingo book. This post covers a clear and simple The Tiger King summary, along with its main characters, central idea, and themes. You’ll also find previous year questions (PYQs) that have been frequently asked in exams. All important points are explained in an easy-to-understand way to help with revision and board preparation.
đź“ť The Tiger King Chapter Overview
| Chapter Name | The Tiger King |
| Book | Vistas (Class 12 English) |
| Author | Kalki |
| Theme | Irony of fate, ego, power, death, and human foolishness |
Table of Contents
The Tiger King Theme
I. Central Theme
- Inevitability of Destiny/Fate: The core message is that no one can escape their destiny, no matter how much they try or what power they wield. The king’s efforts to defy the prophecy ultimately led to its fulfillment.
II. Other Themes
- Satire on the Conceit of Power: The story uses humor and irony to criticize rulers who are arrogant, willful, and neglect their duties for selfish pursuits.
- Human Callousness Towards Wildlife: The narrative implicitly criticizes the ruthless hunting of innocent animals for human ego or amusement.
- Transience of Life and Power: It highlights that life and power are temporary, and even mighty kings cannot escape death.
- Blind Obedience and Flattery: The story shows how those around a powerful ruler, like the dewan and hunters, pander to his whims out of fear or for personal gain, preventing the truth from reaching him.
- Irony: The story is full of dramatic irony, especially regarding the king’s supposed triumph over the 100th tiger and his actual death by a wooden toy.
The Tiger King Character Sketch
- The Tiger King (Maharaja Jilani Jung Jung Bahadur of Pratibandapuram):
- Obsessed Hunter: He vowed to kill 100 tigers to prove the prophecy wrong and spent all his time hunting them.
- Arrogant and Willful: He believed he could change his fate and made rules to suit his desires, like banning tiger hunting for everyone else.
- Fearful of Death: Despite his bravery in fighting tigers, his actions were driven by the fear of the prophecy coming true.
- Neglectful Ruler: He focused only on tiger hunting, neglecting the welfare of his subjects and even increasing taxes out of frustration.
- Manipulated by Others: He was fooled by the shopkeeper and his own dewan, who brought an old, fainted tiger for him to “kill”.
- His Demise: Ironically, he died from a tiny wooden splinter from a toy tiger, fulfilling the prophecy that the 100th tiger would cause his death.
- The Chief Astrologer:
- Prophet: He foretold that the Tiger King would die from a tiger, specifically the hundredth one.
- Bold and Unwavering: He stuck to his prediction even when the ten-day-old prince spoke and later vowed to destroy his books and become an insurance agent if he was wrong.
- The Dewan:
- Loyal but Fearful: He tried to follow the king’s absurd orders, even fearing for his job and life.
- Resourceful (for the King): He secretly arranged for an old tiger from Madras (Chennai) to fulfill the king’s target when no real tigers were left.
- Flatterer: He went along with the king’s whims, even dragging an old tiger into the forest.
- The Hunters/Hunters:
- Obedient and Cautious: They followed the king’s orders but shot the 100th tiger themselves when they realized the king had only fainted it, fearing they would lose their jobs.
- The British Officer (Durai):
- Fond of Hunting: He was very keen on hunting tigers and being photographed with them.
- Symbol of British Power: His desire represented the broader British influence that the Maharaja had to carefully navigate to protect his kingdom.
- The Shopkeeper:
- Manipulative: He overcharged the Maharaja significantly for a cheap wooden toy tiger, fearing punishment under “rules of the Emergency” if he quoted the true low price.
View also: The Last Lesson Summary
The Tiger King Summary
The story is about the Maharaja of Pratibandapuram, who had many grand names but was mostly known as the Tiger King. When the king was just born, astrologers predicted that he would die one day.
Surprisingly, the baby prince spoke when he was only ten days old, asking the astrologers about his death. The chief astrologer said the prince was born under the “Bull” star, and since the Bull and Tiger are enemies, his death would come from a Tiger.
The baby prince boldly declared, “Let tigers beware!“.The prince grew up like other royal children: drinking English cow’s milk, cared for by an English nanny, taught by an English tutor, and watching only English films.
When he turned 20, he became the ruler. Remembering the prophecy, the Maharaja decided to hunt tigers as a form of self-protection.
He was overjoyed after killing his first tiger. He showed the dead tiger to the astrologer, who warned him to be very careful with the hundredth tiger.
The astrologer even vowed that if the 100th tiger was killed, he would tear up his astrology books, cut his hair, and become an insurance agent. The Maharaja then banned tiger hunting in his state for everyone except himself. Anyone who broke this rule would lose their property.
The King swore he would only focus on other state matters after killing all 100 tigers. He faced dangers where bullets missed or tigers attacked him, but he always won.
A high-ranking British officer wanted to hunt a tiger, but the Maharaja refused him permission. To avoid losing his kingdom, the Maharaja sent 50 expensive diamond rings to the British officer’s wife, which cost him three lakh rupees (a large amount of money).
Within ten years, the Maharaja killed 70 tigers, but then tigers became hard to find in his state. The King decided to marry a princess from a state that had a lot of tigers. Each time he visited his father-in-law, he killed five or six more tigers, reaching a total of 99 tiger skins.
With only one tiger left for his goal of 100, the king became very anxious. News came that sheep were disappearing from a village, suggesting a tiger was there. The Maharaja announced a three-year tax break for that village and went to hunt.
The tiger was hard to find, making the king very angry. He fired officers and ordered the dewan to double the land tax. The dewan, fearing the king, secretly brought an old tiger from a park in Madras (Chennai) and hid it in his house.
At midnight, the dewan and his wife dragged the old tiger to the forest. The tiger was stubborn and didn’t want to get out of the car. The next day, the tiger appeared before the Maharaja. The King took aim and shot. The tiger fell down, and the King was filled with great joy, believing he had killed the 100th tiger.
The King ordered a grand parade for the tiger and left in his car.However, the hunters then found out the tiger was not dead; the bullet had missed, and it had only fainted from the shock. Fearing for their jobs, one hunter shot the tiger dead himself.
The dead tiger was paraded and buried, and a tomb was built over it.A few days later, for his son’s third birthday, the Maharaja bought a small, rough wooden tiger from a toy shop.
The shopkeeper lied about the price, charging three hundred rupees for a toy that cost very little, fearing the King’s anger.While playing with his son, a tiny wooden splinter from the rough toy tiger pierced the Maharaja’s right hand.
His hand became infected and turned into an oozing wound.Three famous surgeons from Madras (Chennai) came to operate.After the operation, the surgeons announced, “The operation was successful. The Maharaja is dead“.In this unexpected way, the tiny wooden tiger (the hundredth tiger) took its final revenge on the Tiger King, fulfilling the original prediction.
View also: The Third Level Summary
The Tiger King Previous Year Questions With Hints and Analysis
Based on an analysis of previous year questions from the chapter “The Tiger King”, the most consistently asked questions by CBSE revolve around three interconnected themes:
- The Central Irony and Satire, particularly concerning the King’s eventual death.
- The Tiger King’s Character, focusing on his obsession, arrogance, and willfulness.
- The interplay between Fate and the King’s attempts to defy the astrologer’s prediction.
1. The Central Irony and Satire (Especially the King’s Death)
CBSE frequently tests the understanding of the ironic circumstances surrounding the King’s death, which is the climax and main satirical point of the story. The irony lies in how he is killed by a wooden toy tiger, not a real one, after dedicating his life to killing 99 tigers.
- “How did the hundredth tiger take its revenge upon the Tiger King?” [CBSE SQP, 2018-19] or
- “How did the Tiger King die? Did the astrologer’s prediction come true?” [CBSE Comptt., Delhi Set III, 2017]
- Hint: Focus on the splinter from the wooden toy tiger leading to his death via infection, fulfilling the prophecy ironically.
2. The Tiger King’s Character (Obsession, Arrogance, Willfulness)
Questions frequently delve into the Maharaja’s personality traits, which are the driving force behind his actions and the story’s satirical elements. His single-minded pursuit of tiger killing often leads to absurd and autocratic decisions.
- “What considerations influenced the Tiger King to get married?” [CBSE Delhi Set–I, 2019] or
- “Why did the maharaja decide get married?” [CBSE Delhi/Outside Delhi, 2018]
- Hint: His marriage was purely a strategic decision to find a state with a large tiger population to complete his hunting quota, showcasing his obsession.
- “How did the Maharaja deal with a high–ranking British Officer who wanted to shoot a tiger?” [CBSE Delhi Set–II, 2017]
- Hint: He denied permission and then sent expensive diamond rings to the officer’s wife to appease them and maintain his exclusive hunting privilege, showing his arrogance and desperate measures.
3. Fate vs. Free Will (Astrologer’s Prediction)
This theme explores the core conflict: the King’s strenuous efforts to escape a prophesied death and whether destiny ultimately prevails. The astrologer’s prediction sets the entire plot in motion.
- “How did the incident with the wooden tiger and its consequences, contribute to the overarching theme of fate and retribution, in The Tiger King?”
- Hint: The small splinter from the toy tiger causing his death is the ultimate manifestation of fate and retribution, proving the astrologer correct in an unexpected, ironic way.
- “How did the ten-day-old baby (the future Tiger King) react to the prediction about his future made by the astrologers?” [CBSE Delhi Set II, 2016]
- Hint: The infant Prince’s astonishing declaration “Let tigers beware!” directly challenges the prediction, setting up the lifelong struggle against his fate.
By focusing on these central themes – the irony of his death, the Maharaja’s character flaws, and the inevitability of fate – students can effectively prepare for questions from “The Tiger King” chapter.
This is the end of The Tiger King Summary, Make sure you understand the summary, the themes, and the character sketch, as these are commonly asked in exams. Go through the PYQs once more to build confidence before the test.
Frequently Asked Questions From The Tiger King Summary
Q1. What is the short summary of The Tiger King?
The Tiger King is a satirical story about the Maharaja of Pratibandapuram who tries to change his fate by killing 100 tigers, as foretold by astrologers. The Tiger King summary highlights the foolishness of rulers who misuse power and the irony of fate that can’t be escaped, no matter how powerful you are.
Q2. What is the central theme of The Tiger King?
The main theme of The Tiger King is the arrogance of human beings who think they can control nature and destiny. The story uses satire to show how pride, ego, and blind belief in superstitions can lead to one’s downfall
Q3. What is the moral of the story The Tiger King?
The story teaches that no one can escape destiny, and that power, pride, or planning cannot change what is already written. The moral of The Tiger King also warns against blind belief in superstition and misuse of power.
The Summary of The Third Level is created from NCERT Textbook Chapter PDF of The Tiger King