Scheherazade marries the king because she has a plan that she believes will keep him from continuing to kill his brides after only one night of married life. She tells him a story every night, leaving it on a cliffhanger so that the king will leave her alive another night to hear the ending. After telling him stories for 1,001 nights, she says she is out of stories. The king, however, has by this time fallen in love with her and so doesn't kill her.

The resolution of a story comes after the climax of the story. It is (in most cases) when the ends of the story tie up and the story comes to a satisfying conclusion, usually with a strong sense of closure.

The resolution of this series of stories comes when the king decides to permanently spare his wife's life and make her his queen. He praises Allah for bringing Scheherazade to him and thus ending his senseless slaughter of bride after bride. He also honors her father and commands a full wedding feast and celebration to commemorate his making Scheherazade his true bride. He persuades his brother to marry Scheherazade's sister. The story has a classic happy ending as a tragic period of history is swept away due to Scheherazade's wise acts.