Week 6 Story telling: Scheherazade's 1001 Nights
A long time ago there lived a Sultan, who loved his wife the Sultana more than anything in the world. Every day he gave her beautiful gifts and treasures to show his love for her. However, this love was a lie. For the sultan had learned that his wife did not love him but only used him for his power and wealth. Upon learning this awful truth, the sultan sentenced her to death. But with her death, also went the Sultan’s ability to love. For after this treachery he believed all women to be just as wicked as the Sultana. And although he forgoes love, the Sultan does not want to be lonely at night. For the many years that followed the Sultan would marry a new woman, consummate the marriage and then kill her afterwards. Marriage to the Sultan became synonymous to death to all in the land. One day, the grand-vizier’s eldest daughter Scheherazade told her father that she wanted to put a stop to all the suffering in the land. So that no one need mourn the loss of their daughter or sister ever again. To accomplish this, she asked her father to bring her to the Sultan to be his next wife. Reluctantly, the grand-vizier agreed knowing that his daughter was indeed clever and intelligent for he had used his position to give her the best education possible in all of Persia. As the Sultan’s new bride, Scheherazade new that the marriage could not be consummated, for if that were to happen she would be killed in the morning. She told the Sultan that she would consummate the marriage only after she told him a story. Intrigued by the notion of being told a story, the Sultan agreed. It was at this moment that her plan began to take fruit. Scheherazade began to tell the most wonderful, amazing story the Sultan had ever heard. He could not stop listening to her as she enchanted his imagination with her words. As the night grew longer the story seemed as though it would not end and that was just what happened. Scheherazade told a story all night and told the sultan she was too tired to continue and would continue the next night. The Sultan readily agreed anxious to know the ending to the amazing story, not knowing that Scheherazade’s words were being weaved into a web and the Sultan a fly, caught in her trap. The next night, Scheherazade finished the story from the previous night and immediately started a new one, once again ending the night without an ending to the story. Again, the Sultan was excited for the next night and could not wait to hear the end to the amazing tale. And so this continued for One-Thousand and One Nights, until finally the Sultan was in love with his new bride, and she him and no one in the land ever suffered again.
Author's notes: As always I love these stories way too much to ever want to change too much about them. I enjoy telling these stories to my friends and family in person and that's how I have chosen to write them in my blog, as if I were telling them to my friends and family. I did choose to change it a little bit, leaving out the sister because while in the original tale she was the one being told the stories and the sultan listened in, I thought it more interesting to say that she requested the Sultan to hear her story.
Bibliography: Story source: The Arabian Nights' Entertainments by Andrew Lang and illustrated by H. J. Ford (1898).
Scheherazade telling the Sultan Stories
Author's notes: As always I love these stories way too much to ever want to change too much about them. I enjoy telling these stories to my friends and family in person and that's how I have chosen to write them in my blog, as if I were telling them to my friends and family. I did choose to change it a little bit, leaving out the sister because while in the original tale she was the one being told the stories and the sultan listened in, I thought it more interesting to say that she requested the Sultan to hear her story.
Bibliography: Story source: The Arabian Nights' Entertainments by Andrew Lang and illustrated by H. J. Ford (1898).
Jake,
ReplyDeleteIt is great that you are not changing the story, but still able to write it in your storytelling style. I actually choose Arabian Nights for this week's reading as well and I love how creative how the story just keep goes on and on and on. However, there was never a solid ending whether Scheherazade made it out alive or (though I know she definitely will), it is nice that you give the story an ending here!
Jake,
ReplyDeleteI also read this story for my story-telling! I agree, I think this is such a fascinating premise. I like the story-telling centrality of Scheherazade's predicament, which fortunately coincides with a lot of themes from this class. Have you read the original book before, including all of her stories? I think I may have started it at some point in middle school or high school, but now I can't remember how much of it I finished. Great image at the end, by the way. Very realistic and adds some vivid imagery to your story. Anyways, nice to meet you again, and keep up the great work with maintaining the originality of these stories!
Hey Jake,
ReplyDeleteGreat picture for this story! I think it really helps set the scene. I like that you chose to excude the little sister - if I were Scheherazade I sure as heck wouldn't want my little sister involved, just in case something went wrong. I don't know if you would be willing to change this, but you might consider splitting the story into shorter paragraphs, so that it's easier to read. I also wanted to mention that, although it's pretty cool that you wrote the story as if you were telling your friends and family, I kind of wish you had changed some more things. It would be cool to see what else you could do with the story!