In deed,I think i am very familiar with "1001 Arabian Nights",
for it is my bedtime story at young age. Till the three sections of book i read
today quite open my understanding of it, because there are still much details
about story that i don't know. The three contain entirely the beginning of how
1001 story arose and the happy ending of King and his wife,and two small story
in between which are narrated by Wazir to persuade his daughter not marry King.
The first section "STORY OF KING SHAHRYAR AND HIS BROTHER"
talked that King Shahryar missed his brother Shah Zaman and wanted to his
brother to visit him. And at the day of departure Shah Zaman found his wife's treason so that he got excessive grief and weak. Thereupon
when he rested at the palace he found King Shahryar was also cuckolded that
recover him but frenzy the King.The despondent twain started to tramp and
accidentally met Jinni Ifrit's imprisoned bride who threat them to stroke
her.Finally the lady's exerperience inspire them that King Shahryar
"decided never to intermarry with
womankind" and
"He also sware himself by a binding
oath that whatever wife he married he would abate her maidenhead at night and
slay her next morning, to make sure of his honor."
I used to believe King Shahryar is a brutal and tyrannical king to slay women without a warrant.Now it is
reasonable that he became brutal king because he had such a pitiful
experience.However there are some logical problem that i cannot understand.
So
they fared forth saying either to other, "Allah! Allah!" and:
"There be no Majesty and there be no Might save in Allah, the Glorious,
the Great, and with Him we seek refuge from women's malice and sleight, for of
a truth it hath no mate in might. Consider, O my brother, the ways of this
marvelous lady with an Ifrit, who is so much more powerful than we are. Now
since there hath happened to him a greater mishap than that which befell us and
which should bear us abundant consolation, so return we to our countries and
capitals, and let us decide never to intermarry with womankind, and presently
we will show them what will be our action."
I found they were inspired by lady's
experience,but they did the same odious deed to Ifrit's wife as what blackman
did to Queen.Maybe they felt it was all the fault of Queen because she may
threat to blackman;maybe they felt Ifrit is much more miserable than themself
because even Ifrit has strong power, his wife still betray him;maybe they know
"there never was nor is there one chaste woman upon the face of
earth"; except they agree the lady's way.Because i think the lady is also
disloyal.
And there are the same logical problems about merchant and his wife's
small story in "THE TALE OF THE BULL AND THE ASS" . Why wife will
repent when merchant use mulberry twigs to hit his wife very hard until she beg
for pardon? Can it easily make wife obedient?
Thus I learned a lot but i still puzzled a lot.
Yes. The text treats the king in an interesting way. Certainly his behavior is ghastly and inexcusable. He even admits this himself at the story's conclusion when he says that Sheherezade has "saved" him from this behavior. But the story never condemns him. Very odd, indeed.
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