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Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a literary work.

Storytelling as Salvation

At its core, The Arabian Nights is a story about storytelling. In the frame, Shahrazad believes that her storytelling can save her own life, and the lives of other women, if she can create so much suspense that she can hold her husband, King Shahrayar, enchanted by her words night after night. This theme, that stories are not only entertainment but also transformative, overlays the entire collection. Beyond this overriding construct, nearly all the stories are cautionary and pedantic. Each one teaches listeners and readers about human nature and warns us against vices such as greed, gluttony, materialism, jealousy, adultery, and dishonesty.

These lessons, conveyed by stories that surprise and entertain, can save us from ourselves. These stories, authored by many unknown voices, were originally spoken aloud, probably enhanced by dramatic gestures and voices, and shared with audiences large and small. The shared experience of listening to a story in a group is the essence of theater itself. Such an experience reminds us, the reader or audience: We are not alone, we share common characteristics and foibles, we laugh at the same ridiculous circumstances and cry at the same tragedies, we feel the same emotions, we marvel at the same wonders, and we share a common and collective imagination. Stories teach people about humanity’s harmonies and similarities.

The Danger of Rage, Jealousy, Greed, and Pride

Throughout The Arabian Nights, furious, jealous, and greedy characters are often punished for their misdeeds. The collection begins with rage, when Shahzaman discovers his wife lying in the arms of a cook and kills them both, setting off a spiral of events that results in an enormous loss of life. For example, in “The Story of Three Apples,” a jealous husband beheads his devoted wife after hearing a black slave call her his “mistress,” which is a lie.

In “The Tale of the First Lady, the Mistress of the House,” two jealous sisters throw a newlywed couple into the sea, drowning the husband. A demon turns the sisters into two black dogs who must be beaten every night.

One story that showcases the price of greed is “The Tale of the Fifth Brother, the Cropped of Ears.” In this tale, a poor man allows his greed to take such strong hold of his mind that he envisions mistreating his wife to showcase his power over her. However, while envisioning kicking his wife, he accidentally kicks over a basket of glassware, thus destroying the very means by which he could make his fortune.

In “The Jewish Physician’s Tale,” a proud woman kills her friend out of jealousy for sleeping with her lover. These deadly sins are common to all humans, but the tales caution us against using them to motivate deeds that cannot be undone.

Rising to Wealth and Falling into Poverty

Changing from “rags to riches” is a common theme throughout world literature, and many characters in The Arabian Nights follow this path. The fisherman in “The Story of the Fisherman and the Demon” begins as a poor man who casts his net for anything at all, but the story ends with the king marrying the fisherman’s daughter and him becoming a rich man. The man who is envied in “The Tale of the Envious and the Envied” begins as a commoner who lives in a plain house. However, others envy him because of his goodness, generosity, and healing skills, and he soon becomes the king’s son-in-law, then the king’s vizier, and, eventually, the king. The idea echoed here is that virtue can elevate a man’s status in the world if fate rewards him and royalty recognizes his worth.

However, “riches to rags” is also a theme in these stories, as wealthy merchants and even royalty squander their fortunes because of their greed, gluttony, and hedonism. The three dervishes, for example, begin their lives as the sons of kings but end up as wandering medicants. Several of the barber’s six brothers follow this path, beginning as tailors or butchers and falling into poverty and despair. The sixth brother begins rich but becomes poor. These stories caution readers and listeners to beware because fortune can shift quickly.

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