Feminism in the One Thousand and One Nights

**How has the portrayal of women in this story empowered women and influenced their rights today?**

**The Representation of Women in 1001 Nights.**

The One Thousand and One Nights begins with the story of King Shahrayar and his punishment to women throughout his town as his wife was unfaithful to him leading him to project his pain and anger on all women. The way that Shahrayar's wife was able to betray him led to his increased resentment towards women because of how much pain he was enduring. This represents how women were seen to be disposable and at a man's will where they are to do whatever is asked of them no matter if they refuse or don't want to put their lives at risk. The manner that women are represented by the men's perspective in the story reflects how they are represented in society at that time. When the vizier voluntarily gives up his daughter to the king knowing very well she will be executed also shows how disposable women are in their families. The vizier may not have agreed to let Shahrazad go but it seems as though deep down she knew she could find a way to help the rest of the women in the town. It also demonstrates the major theme of oppression which is not only represented through the relationship between men and women but through many other formats such as King and their servants, parents and their children which was also able to represent the oppression that existed in the Abbasid society outside of the story.

**The Change in Narrative of Women**

The story begins with women being represented as nothing more than a men's servant and inferior to the male species as the King was able to have his way with all of them and no one disagreed or refused to participate in his decree. Once Shahrazad is introduced the narrative slowly begins to change as she begins to save herself and evade being executed by Shahrayar. She begins the story as Shahrayar's prisoner and finishes the story with Shahrayar being a prisoner to her stories The Arabian Nights portrays women to be intellectually inferior where men were usually the smarter beings in society. They were mainly seen as sex symbols and to have a cunning or deceitful persona with a negative stigma. Sharahzad was the first character who was able to begin to show that women can be intelligent enough to outsmart a man for their survival and not simply to deceive a man. Shahrazad began telling stories where women were portrayed as adulteresses and objects to appeal to Sharayar yet then changed the narrative as the story progressed. For example, she tells the story "The Merchant and his Wife" which is meant to demonstrate that men must beat their wives to control them yet she can tell it in a way that reflects Shahrayar's actions. She subtly shows him that the way he treats women won't control them or force obedience. She was able to skillfully delay her doom simply by using her knowledge of storytelling which demonstrated her intelligence by telling many stories of different middle eastern cultures. She was able to demonstrate that she is well-read and knowledgeable of middle eastern folklore. As the story develops and she continuously delays her death, she continues to change the narrative on women by describing a variety of women throughout her stories. She can prove that women are undoubtedly smarter than they are portrayed to be and have had to develop the ability to be slightly deceitful simply for their survival not with the intent to harm men for other benefits. They are taught that they are less worthy than a man and therefore have to learn how to protect themselves which Sharahzad is a clear example of. On top of using her wit and intelligence to save her own life, she was able to save the lives of many other women who were doomed to be executed. This would've led to ridding the town of all women making Shahrazad a hero for all women and the image of feminism for young girls in the middle east.

**Sharahzad's Portrayal of Women**

Besides Sharahzad herself demonstrating feminism throughout the story, she can continue to change the narrative and reputation of women by slowly portraying women in a different light through her stories. She talked of women who were strong, intelligent, and decisive which are not characteristics that women were said to have. Women in her stories are also said to have professions such as merchants, sorceresses, and swordfighters which are usually jobs or occupations that are held by men. The tales of "King 'Ubar ibn al-Nu'man and His Family"  and "Hasan of Basra, the Goldsmith" both feature women swordfighters backed by armies of virgin girls. Sharahzad was also able to describe women who were able to demand decent treatment from men and their husbands instead of simply undertaking whatever they throw at them as well as being more assertive when they have sex with men. She maintained the image of a woman being a "damsel in distress" but was able to portray them as strong at the same time. In the tale of "The Slave Girl of Tawadudd," the girl is portrayed as a slave who proves herself superior because of intelligent she is that she can save her master and herself from poverty due to her intelligence. She is still a slave yet able to outsmart her men's superiors to live a better life in the end. There are also three different tales in 1001 Nights that consist of women becoming kings which can be considered to be a rarer occurrence. The idea of a woman becoming king shows that there are opportunities for women and young girls can have big dreams that they had not thought of.

**Women's Rights Today**

The stories of Sharahzad have been able to be a beacon of hope for young girls in the middle east who have to succumb to being treated as inferior to men throughout their lives. There has been a lot of progress for women in the middle east where they are now needed in a variety of ways that isn't solely for the bearing of children or sexual pleasure. Women are now needed in politics, can work in Intelligence Services, and can join the military. As of 2019, there are countries that have equal or higher female representation than the United States (23%) such as Algeria (25%), Morocco (20%), Israel (23%), and Iraq (25%). All over the world women are still fighting for equality and full rights but stories like this can continue the conversation of equality as young girls learn that they do deserve to have opportunities. Rights as simple as being to drive which women in Saudi Arabia were just granted or being able to transfer their citizenship to their children which was just allowed in Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, Yemen, and Iraq are basic rights that women deserve to have. Sharahzad was a figure of feminism and hope for young girls all over the world.

**Sources**

"Arabian Nights - A History Of 'One Thousand And One Nights'". Pookpress.Co.Uk,2021, https://www.pookpress.co.uk/project/arabian-nights-one-thousand-and-one-nights/.

"Beyond Shahrazad: Feminist Portrayals Of Women In The Arabian Nights". Medium, 2021, https://cosgrrrl.com/beyond-shahrazad-feminist-portrayals-of-women-in-the-arabian-nights-922af1bcd59c.

Enderwitz, Susanne. "Shahrazad Is One Of Us: Practical Narrative, Theoretical Discussion, And Feminist Discourse". Marvels &Amp; Tales, vol 18, no. 2, 2004, pp. 187-200. Project Muse, https://doi.org/10.1353/mat.2004.0031.

Fassler, Joe. "The Humanist Message Hidden Amid The Violence Of One Thousand And One Nights". The Atlantic, 2021, https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2013/06/the-humanist-message-hidden-amid-the-violence-of-i-one-thousand-and-one-nights-i/277210/.

Reports, Staff. "What Has Changed About Women’S Rights In MENA - BORGEN". *BORGEN*, 2021, https://www.borgenmagazine.com/womens-rights-in-mena/.

"The Big Gains For Women'S Rights In The Middle East, Explained". The Washington Post, 2021, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2018/07/23/womens-rights-are-advancing-in-the-middle-east-this-explains-why/.