Arabian Literature: Arabian Nights (The Lady and her Five Suitors and Aladdin and the Magic Lamp)

 Arabian Nights 

            Arabian Nights is also known as One Thousand and One Nights. According to Wikipedia, it is a collection of folk tales that was written in Arabic and was translated to English.

 

        The very main frame of the story talks about Shahryar. Shahryar is the ruling king of India and China. One day, the Shahryar found out that his wife has an affair with another man, which angered him and had his wife killed. Because of this, Shahryar generalize the thought that all women are the same. Shahryar marries a lot of virgin girls, one girl each day and have them killed them instantly. One day Vizier could no longer find any virgins in the kingdom, but Scheherazade, his daughter told him that she shall be the next bride of the king to which he agreed. On the night of their marriage, Scheherazade tells a story to the king, a story that doesn't end, because of this the king postpone on killing her because he wanted to know how the story ends. This goes on for one thousand and one nights.

 

        The themes of the story are hatred, tragedy, and being wise. The main characters are Shahryar, Vizier, the virgin girls, and Scheherazade. The setting happens in the a kingdom. The conflict is man versus man because the king keeps killing virgin girls and he was not able to kill Scheherazade.

        What I can say is that we can consider Shahryar as the killer of virgin girls because he already killed a lot of them and he never regretted doing so. I am also fascinated by Scheherazade's character because she is very wise, in order for the king to not be able to kill her, she keeps telling him a story that never ends. With this idea about a story that never ends, it came to my thoughts that maybe most of her story have cliffhanger.

        I learned from the story that we should be wise on some things, like when people tells you that they will make your life, be wise and find a way that they cannot do it, just like what Scheherazade did. I also learned that some people can really surpass our cunning plans or works, that is why in this world, no one is superior.

SOURCES:

• One Thousand and One Nights
• Image of Scheherazade and Shahryār by Ferdinand Keller, 1880