Arabian Nights Essay, Research Paper

Throughout history there have been many tales passed down from generation to generation. Arabian Nights has been one of them. Arabian Nights contains an outer and inner framework. The outer consists of Scherazade telling stories to the Sultan each night to stay alive. The inner framework is the stories that Scherazade tells. This tale contains many motifs. Some are very familiar from other tales that have also been passed down.

I think throughout this tale one of the most popular motifs would be a magical object. In each of the stories Scherazade tells there is some kind of magical object. Some of these include a magic carpet, a healing apple, a telescope that would show its owner anything he wanted to see, a magic lamp that released a genie that would grant any of your wishes, and a magical ring that would also release a genie. All of these objects helped one of the characters in each of her stories.

Another popular motif in her stories is “love conquers all.” In every short story the character did just about anything for the love of his or her life, or the person who meant the world to them. Going to great extremes did not phase the characters because love was on the line. No matter what the situation at hand was, love always won.

Both of the motifs mentioned are very popular motifs. Both can be found in many stories and writings today. There were probably many other motifs that could be found in Scherazade’s stories that have not been mentioned here. The two mentioned just caught my attention the most. The motifs found in Arabian Nights are common in tales that have been passed down from generation to generation, as well as today in American and around the world.