Question

Provide a characterization of Shahrazad from The Thousand and One Nights (also known as The Arabian Nights).

Accepted Answer

Shahrazad of The Thousand and One Nights is a beautiful, intelligent, compassionate, and courageous trickster figure who knows how to outwit the king. She saves her own life and those of other women.

Answer

Shahrazad is a courageous and compassionate trickster. A trickster is a traditional figure in literature who has little power but nevertheless survives by having greater wits and intelligence than the powerful. The trickster exists in all cultures and is a folk hero.
Shahrazad is aware that the king, who was hurt and betrayed by a former wife, marries a woman, sleeps with her for one night, and then has her killed the next morning, only to repeat the action the next day. Shahrazad wants to stop powerless and innocent women from dying and so comes up with a bold plan.
This beautiful and intelligent individual, who is an expert storyteller, easily catches the eye of the king, who marries her. To save her life, she tells him a tale, leaving it on a cliffhanger. If the king wants to know the ending, he will have to let her live another day. This goes on for 1,001 nights, until the king falls in love with Shahrazad and marries her, ending the terrifying killing and bestowing honor on this brave woman.
We can see from the story that Shahrazad, though with far less power than the king, had the wits to outthink him. We admire her for taking a terrible situation and turning it to her advantage. She was a risk-taker who knew how to win.

Answer

The story of A Thousand and One Nights, also known as The Arabian Nights, is built upon the structural framework that allows all of the stories within to be joined in single purpose, rather than presenting a string of tales that are seemingly disconnected.
Shahrazad is the woman who marries Shahrayar, a powerful ruler. Having found his first wife unfaithful to him, he killed her. Now he marries a virgin each night and kills her the next day, in this way guaranteeing that his "wife" will remain faithful. It is no surprise that it soon becomes difficult to find a wife for the ruler. This is the framework of the story: Shahrazad marries Shaharyar, but her stories every night are so wonderful, that her husband does not kill her because he wants to hear more of her stories. This premise is what ties together these unrelated tales.
Shahrazad is in the story very little, providing the story's essential framework. However, we can still characterize her based on what we do know. First of all, she is brave. Her father is the vizier who is in charge of obtaining a new wife each night for the ruler. When he tells his daughter of his concern of being unsuccessful, Shahrazad offers herself, even knowing she might well be killed the morning after the marriage. This shows she is brave, but she is also self-less. It is her generous nature to save other women in the kingdom that motivates her to agree to the marriage. Having listened to a story her father relates to demonstrate the danger that awaits her, Shahrazad makes a plan with her sister Dinazad; Shahrazad she will ask for her sister to visit the new couple on their wedding night. Then Dinazad will request a story from her sister with the permission of Shaharyar.
The wedding takes place, the marriage is consummated, and Shahrazad makes her request. Shaharyar grants the request and his wife begins to tell her stories, but only until dawn. He is so delighted, that he puts off the execution for another night. This shows that Shahrazad is clever and entertaining. She is clever for thinking to use the stories to beguile her husband to allow her another day of life, and entertaining in that she tells the tales with such skill that Shaharyar cannot wait to hear what she will tell him next.
And so she continues to tell him a new story for one thousand and one nights. To be able to continue for so long, Shahrazad must also be very intelligent.
During this time Shahrazad bears Shaharyar three sons. On the last evening of her stories, she asks her husband for a wish: that he spare her life for the sake of her children. The tale is told that by now Shaharyar deeply loves his wife and agrees without hesitation.
There is a great celebration, the people are joyful, and Shahrazad and Shaharyar "live happily ever after."

The Arabian Nights

Provide a characterization of Shahrazad from The Thousand and One Nights (also known as The Arabian Nights).

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