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Adds meaning to grasp the entire situation.
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Tales can stand on their own—needs to have a story preceding it to get meaning author is hoping for.
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What meaning from the frame?
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Wicked—character telling the story
Why Shahzaman’s wife sleeping with another man?
Shahzaman—king’s brother (also king of smaller land—Samarkand)
Shahryar--king
Shahrzad—vizier’s daughter
Struck by the fact that everyone is sleeping with each other. Region where Islam came from
Rebelling against conservative?
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Religious censorship….cut out raunchier parts?
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Maybe views have changed?

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Be careful not to be too ahistorical in describing a religion and region—current politics were not always the politics of the Middle East, which itself today is diverse (and Islam itself has diff. branches/people who are less conservative than we may imagine from the US perspective).
14 th c. Arabic culture (Muslim and non-Muslim) not necessarily 20 th /21 st century (and part of what has made some parts of the Middle East more conservative in its treatment of women has to do with US/European influence, and reactions to that influence).
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Censorship of tales happened in Islamic countries—but in Western countries too, when translators left out some of the more sexually graphic parts.
Women with the demon---random?? (561)
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Let’s get to that after looking at the first two scenes of infidelity.
Description of brothers (566): Two brothers—not fighting over lands.

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Shahryar—“gave” land –seems more powerful.
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Shahryar—“invincible energetic and implacable[relentless, unstoppable]”—“loyalty from country”—good leader. Why he got land, more power, why brother doesn’t have it
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Shahzaman—not so well described—just described as brother and king of land given to him by brother.
Shahzaman and his wife’s infidelity
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Lack of respect—she’s sleeping with another man—just a “cook”—not a powerful man.
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Medea—Jason sleeps with princess to gain status. Wife sleeps with cook—nothing politically she’ll get out of it. Does it because she wants to
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Also happens to brother. (brother has concubines…but that’s not a problem in the text, while the fact that his wife sleeps with another man is a problem: double standard) o Husband has concubines. Why shouldn’t I?

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Being thrown from palace roof to “Trench,” hole in dirt—lost his favor—isn’t part of royal family anymore. Throwing her down into hell? o With king—royalty. Throws her down—it’s like, she’s trash. o “top of palace” “trench below”—social status—royalty—trench below—lose reputation.
Texts wants you to feel for Shahzaman—“when I saw your misfortune, I felt better” –559. “As a result
I forgot my care and sorrow…relax” (559)
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Misfortune’s he’s gone through—sleeping with another man in his own territory—his brother goes through that too.
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My wife isn’t the only one cheating on me. Kind of selfish. Cares about his own feelings, not empathetic.
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Brother is great king—but it still happens to him.
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“what is his” (558) –never going to have full control of what’s around you in your life.

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What kind of king is he if he lets something like this happen? Credibility.
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On the other hand…Comforting himself—worse things are happening to other people—why should I be so deep in my own sorrow. Selfaware, it’s not only me, I don’t have to sink into my own sorrow.
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Weird—it’s his brother, seeing this bad thing happen to him. Not only is he being cheated on, now he knows this info about his brother he has to deal with.
Shahryar’s wife’s infidelity:
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It’s in the open, people can see it, lot of people involved: Doesn’t care where she does it, who she does it with.
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Away to hunt—she feels like she’s free. Being alone in an apartment and celebrating it.
(Except—big difference—out in the open).
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Why do it in front of so many—why not just herself, alone?

o Sake of story—had to be more extreme than what happened to the other king’s wife. First: only one person. Ups the ante to catch her with numerous people.
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Comes out of tree—like Spiderman. Mas’ud— black slave. (name means anything?) Google says “fortunate, prosperous, happy” She’s done stuff with him before (we see it twice, but the fact that he jumps out of a tree makes it seem planned). Every time the king leaves.
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Shahzaman---as soon as he leaves—the kitchen boy comes—as soon as he leaves the person is waiting for wife. Immediate.
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For Shahzaman on Shahrayar: Maybe
Shahrayar’s not that powerful. If it’s viewable from a window—as soon as king leaves—people are not as loyal, they don’t tell him.
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Name means “happiness”—king’s wife calls for
“happiness” when she calls for Ma’sud to have sex with her.
Shahzaman—nothing much about Shahzaman.

Getting back to question about Demon— djinn(Aladdin—genie who grants wishes, has powers) (Supernatural—controls other people) – genie)
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Shahryar—noble, king
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Demon—opposite. (karma. Noble king—good dharma, doesn’t deserve. Demon has bad karma? But both end up with the same fruit.
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Demon—traps women, tries to keep her virgin. o Implicit criticism of two kings? They “trap” their wives, they react when they feel
“free”?
Glass box/chest with four steel locks: what’s up with that?
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Demon=both of the king’s stories. She goes and has sex once right away demon is asleep.
Women as trapped, take relief when they need it.
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Four steel locks, glass box? Four locks—lot of security.

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Glass box—is fragile, there but not there…breakable,. She’s out and having sex with a 100 people. Trapped in this idea, not just physically, but because of abstract things….why a glass box? Should be able to see through a glass box?
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Can see there’s a woman inside. Abstract things=Social constraints. See through but they are there (the restraints holding back women— relates back to wives?).
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Glass box—see a virgin, but when you open it not what its sought out to be (100 rings)— instead, she’s had sex with hundred people.
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She’s beautiful: “beautiful figure, moon like face” (650).