Infinity and Immortality
Sharing stories is a universal method of preservation, offering a way to defy mortality. The tale of The Arabian Nights exemplifies this concept of immortality. Scheherazade's storytelling is her literal means of survival. The structure of her tales—stories within stories, with endings that seamlessly transition into the next beginning, night after night—seems endless, symbolizing infinity.

Sexuality
The original Arabian Nights contains abundant references to sexuality. Previous nineteenth-century translations, constrained by the strict Victorian sexual norms, largely omitted these elements. However, Burton's translation, aiming to offer a more comprehensive version, retains the sexual references, allusions, scenes, and themes. Additionally, his extensive annotations provide detailed notes on Arabic sexual customs and the meanings behind allusions, making his version more sexualized than the original tales.

Misogyny
The mistreatment, beating, and even killing of women are portrayed as lawful and justifiable, especially as punishment for a woman's infidelity to her husband. This theme recurs in the overarching narrative, where the King executes one maiden after another as revenge for his first wife's unfaithfulness. In "The Porter and the Three Ladies of Baghdad," the portress is severely beaten by her husband for breaking her vow by allowing another man to kiss her. She must then perform nightly penance for her transgression. The Jinniyah, representing a form of justice in this story, justifies the husband's actions, even saying he would have been justified in killing her: "He is not to be blamed for beating her, for he laid a condition on her and swore her by a solemn oath... she was false to her vow and he was minded to put her to death... but contented himself with scourging her." At the story's conclusion, the Caliph resolves the portress's situation not by punishing her husband for his violence but by reuniting them.

Chance and Fate
The themes of chance and fate are unavoidable forces in these narratives. Many stories begin with a character embarking on a journey with a specific destination in mind, only to be diverted by unforeseen circumstances. For instance, in the tale of the Third Kalandar from "The Porter and the Three Ladies," the Kalandar never arrives at his intended location. Instead, he finds himself stranded on two different islands, detained in a castle for over a year, and loses an eye due to a horse. Ultimately, he chooses the life of a Kalandar and ends up in Baghdad. Despite these challenges, he eventually marries one of the beautiful sisters in the story, suggesting that he ultimately achieves the happy ending meant for him. These tales illustrate the concept of human powerlessness over destiny. As the Second Kalandar expresses, "I resigned my soul to the tyranny of Time and Circumstance, well weeting that Fortune is fair and constant to no man."

Fidelity
Fidelity plays a crucial role in the relationships between characters. This encompasses the loyalty of a wife to her husband and the adherence of any individual to their promises. Throughout the tales, breaking a marriage vow often results in harm or death for the woman involved. Similarly, breaking any oath leads to consequences for other characters. For instance, in the "Tale of the Porter and the Three Ladies of Baghdad," the men violate their vow of silence to the women, which results in them facing the threat of death. The Third Kalandar also breaks his vow of silence to the ten one-eyed mendicants, leading him to share their fate and eventually lose one of his own eyes.