SHORT STORIES, LONG SHADOWS · A2/B1 · 50 min

The Two Kings and the Two Labyrinths

Jorge Luis Borges — one king builds a maze of walls; the other answers with a maze of sand.

Want the full version? Read this lesson at B2/C1 level →

Today: you'll read a short, clever story about two kings, pride and revenge — and you'll practise superlatives (the biggest, the best, the most difficult) to say which thing is number one.
Before you read — talk a little. What is a labyrinth (a maze)? Have you ever been lost in a big place? What happens to people who are too proud? Say one or two sentences.

The words for today's story

Each word is in a sentence. Read it and guess the meaning, then click Reveal.

1. A labyrinth is a place with many paths, where it is very easy to get lost. (Another word is a maze.)
a labyrinth (n) — a place with many walls and paths, made so that people get lost inside it.
2. The first king was very proud — he thought he was better than everyone else.
proud (adj) — thinking (often too much) that you or your things are very good.
3. Inside the labyrinth, the visitor got lost and could not find the door.
to get lost (v) — to not know where you are or how to find the way.
4. The labyrinth had high stone walls on every side.
a wall (n) — the tall, flat side of a building or room.
5. To laugh at his guest, the king told him to enter the labyrinth.
to enter (v) — to go into a place.
6. The visitor could not escape; he walked for hours and found no way out.
to escape (v) — to get out of a place, or get away from danger.
7. At last, he closed his eyes and began to pray to God for help.
to pray (v) — to speak to God, often to ask for help.
8. Years later, the two kings went to war, and many soldiers fought.
war (n) — a big fight between countries or armies.
9. The winner put the proud king on a fast camel and rode into the sand.
a camel (n) — a large desert animal that people ride.
10. The desert was huge and empty — only sand for many miles, with no water.
a desert (n) — a very large, dry place with sand and almost no water.

Now use them

Talk before you read:
  • Use proud, labyrinth and get lost: what do you think the proud king does to his guest?
  • The title says there are two labyrinths. One has walls. What could the second one be? Guess!

The story, in three parts

Read each part. Then answer the quick questions (try from memory first), and talk about one thing.

Part 1 — The king who was too proud

Long ago, there was a rich and very proud king in Babylon. He built a huge labyrinth — a building with so many walls, doors and stairs that people went in and could not find the way out. It was the most confusing place in the world.

The king loved his labyrinth. He thought it made him the greatest king of all. He wanted to show everyone how clever he was.

Quick check — answer, then reveal:

1. What did the proud king build, and why was it special?

2. Why did the king love it so much?

1. A huge labyrinth with so many walls, doors and stairs that people got lost and could not find the way out.

2. He was very proud; it made him feel like the greatest, cleverest king of all.

Discuss:
  • The king built the labyrinth to show he was the best. Is it good to want everyone to see how clever you are?

Part 2 — The guest gets lost

One day, a king from Arabia came to visit. To laugh at him, the Babylonian king said: "Enter my labyrinth." So the Arab king went in. He walked and walked, but every path looked the same. He could not find the door. He was lost until night came.

At last, tired and afraid, he closed his eyes and prayed to God. And then he found the way out. He was not angry outside. He said only one quiet thing to the proud king: "One day, I will show you MY labyrinth."

Quick check — answer, then reveal:

1. What happened to the Arab king inside the labyrinth?

2. How did he finally get out, and what did he say?

1. He got completely lost — every path looked the same and he could not find the door until night.

2. He prayed to God and then found the way out. He said quietly: "One day, I will show you my labyrinth."

Discuss:
  • The Arab king does not shout or fight. He stays calm and makes a quiet promise. Is a calm, quiet person more dangerous than an angry one?

Part 3 — The second labyrinth

Years later, the Arab king made war on Babylon. He won. He caught the proud king and put him on a fast camel. Then he rode far, far into the desert.

"You showed me your labyrinth of walls, doors and stairs," he said. "Now God has let me show you mine. It has no walls, no doors, no stairs — only sand. It is the best labyrinth of all, because no one can ever escape it." He left the proud king there alone, with no water. And the king died in the desert.

Quick check — answer, then reveal:

1. What was the Arab king's "labyrinth"?

2. Why did he say it was better than the labyrinth of walls?

1. The desert — a huge, empty place of sand with no walls, no doors and no way out.

2. Because no one can ever escape it: there is nothing to help you find a way, and no water to stay alive.

Discuss:
  • An empty desert with no walls is called the "best" labyrinth. Why is a place with nothing in it more frightening than a place full of walls?

Grammar — Superlatives

We use superlatives to say which thing is number one: the biggest, the best, the most confusing. This story compares two labyrinths and two kings, so it is full of them.

The rules:
• Short words: the + word + -est → big → the biggest, high → the highest.
• Long words: the most + word → confusing → the most confusing, beautiful → the most beautiful.
• Irregular: good → the best, bad → the worst.
• We often add of all / in the world: "the greatest king of all."

1. Make the superlative

1. big →

2. confusing →

3. good →

4. proud →

1. the biggest · 2. the most confusing · 3. the best · 4. the proudest

2. Complete the sentence about the story

Use the superlative of the word in brackets.

1. The labyrinth of walls was place the visitor had ever seen. (confusing)

2. The king thought he was king of all. (great)

3. The desert is labyrinth, because no one can escape it. (bad)

4. Pride was the king's mistake. (big)

1. the most confusing · 2. the greatest · 3. the worst · 4. the biggest

3. Complete the paragraph

The first king built (clever) labyrinth in the world. He thought he was (good) king of all. But in the end, the desert was (dangerous) labyrinth of all, and pride was his (bad) enemy.

the cleverest · the best · the most dangerous · the worst

Use superlatives in the Speak tab to compare the two kings and the two labyrinths.

Going deeper — talk more

Talk about these questions out loud. There are no wrong answers — just say what you think.

Useful language: "I think…", "It's fair / not fair because…", "The worst thing is…", "In real life…".
1 · Pride comes before a fall

The proud king wanted everyone to see how great he was — and it destroyed him. Do you know other stories or real examples where too much pride ends badly? What can pride do to a person?

2 · Was the revenge fair?

The Arab king was humiliated, so he killed the proud king in the desert. Was that fair revenge, or too cruel? What could he have done instead?

3 · Walls or no walls?

One labyrinth is full of walls; the other is completely empty. Which would frighten you more, and why? What does the story say about "big and clever" versus "simple"?

Speak

This is the most important part. Say everything out loud. Use the timer to keep talking.

Useful language: compare with superlatives — the biggest, the best, the most confusing, the worst — and use today's words: labyrinth, proud, get lost, wall, enter, escape, pray, war, camel, desert.
Time remaining: 4:00
Task A · Tell the story (4 minutes)

Tell the story in your own words: the proud king and his labyrinth → the guest gets lost and prays → the war → the second labyrinth in the desert. Use at least five key words and two superlatives.

Task B · Compare them (4 minutes)

Compare the two kings and the two labyrinths using superlatives: which king was the proudest? the cleverest? Which labyrinth was the most frightening, the most dangerous, the worst?

Task C · A story about pride (4 minutes)

Tell a story — real, from a film, or from your imagination — about someone who was too proud and lost everything. What happened? What did they learn (or not learn)?

To finish — bigger questions

  1. The story is very short but stays in your mind. Why are short stories with a big idea so powerful?
  2. Is the empty desert really a "labyrinth"? What makes something a trap?
  3. Who is the "winner" of this story — and does winning make him a good person?
  4. Before you go: say three superlative sentences about the two kings and their labyrinths.