Arabian Nights
...hahriyar felt that he had a right to control and use them at his disposal as he pleased. Unfortunately, the power of the King left these women completely constrained by their culture and time. Fortunately not all women played a passive role in “The Tale of King Shahriyar and his brother, Shahzaman.” After three years of Shahriyar’s unyielding wrath upon the women of his country, his vizier was unable to find another woman for his master. All of his people had, understandably, fled the country with their daughters. When the vizier’s daughter, Shahrazed, realized the dilemma her father was in she said to him, “Dear Father, give me in marriage to the King; Either I will die a martyr’s death, or I will live and save my countrymen’s daughters” (Dawood 5). Here Shahrazed takes on a very uncharacteristic role for woman. Although she is putting herself into a great deal of danger, she is also empowering herself in a way that is revolutionary for the time. Instead of letting a man control her own life and destiny she took matters into her own hands. For a thousand and one nights Shahrazed was able to preserve her life by telling Shahriyar a story each night, keeping the King entertained and herself alive. During this time she also gave birth to the Kings three sons. After the last tale on the thousandth and one night, Shahrazed asked the king to spare her life and he responded by saying to her father, “God has raised up your daughter to be the savior of my people. I have found her chaste, wise, and eloquent, and repentance has come to me though her” (Dawood 200). Shahrazed was able to use her wit and power not only for her own good, but for the good of all women in her husband’s kingdom. For the next thirty days and thirty nights the city rejoiced at the heroic work of Shahrazed. The people of Shahriyar’s country were able to return without living in fear of their daughter’s life. “King Shahriyar reigned over his subjects in all justice, and lived happily with Shahrazad ever after” (Dawood 201). This is proof that although women typically were constrained by their cultures expected norms, they were able to achieve individuality though the power of themselves. In many of the tales that Shahrazed told she included a message of how women’s roles fit into their society. For example in “The Tale of the Enchanted King” the king’s wife, like many other women in this time, is portrayed as an adulterer. As the king is about to slay her she quickly shouts, “Now Powers of Magic, let half his body be turned to stone” and the King’s lower body was indeed turned to stone (Dawood 42). This woman was able escape the powers of her husband by using witchcraft to turn him to stone, however she quickly allowed herself to be controlled by her mister’s orders. Soon after this she was complying with his every order, thus making the decision to be completely submissive to her lover. When another man disguised himself as her lover and demanded that she releases the spell from the King she immediately whet and did so. Her submissiveness to men ultimately cost her life. The king quickly rose to his feet and stabbed her in the breast with his sword. She is yet another women falling victim to the man that controls her. In another tale, “The Ebony Horse”, the princess uses her intelligence much like Shahrazed did, to save her own life. In this story the Princess of Yemen falls in love with the Prince of Persia and they are to be married, but the princess in kidnapped by an evil magician who took her to the king of Turkey. The king of Turkey thought that she was so beautiful that he wanted to marry her himself. Using her quick whit, the princess “refused all food and drink, and began to rave and scream like a women stricken with madness. So well did she play the part that everyone believed she was really insane” (Dawood 195). When the King called for a doctor, the Prince of Persia was able to disguise himself as a doctor and rescue the princess. It is through the Princess’s own agency the she is able to spare herself from marrying the awful King of Turkey, and through her own ambition she succeeds in the pursuit happiness. In this incidence the princess’s intelligence keeps her from being bound b...