The Arabian Nights is better known in the Western world as The Arabian Nights. The story is a collection of folktales compiled during the Islamic Golden Age. Over the centuries the stories were collected throughout Asia and North Africa. There are numerous versions of the tale, from a few hundred nights to what we know as the Arabian Nights, best known for its famous story. With this tale stories such as Aladdin's Lamp and Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves were added by Antonie Galland in the 18th century. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Shahryar, the narrator of this story is also the king of that kingdom. Having discovered that his first wife had been unfaithful, he kills her and every new wife, so as not to be hurt and have them be unfaithful. King Shahrayar goes mad after catching his wife having sex with a slave. After catching his wife cheating on him, he realizes that he will never be able to trust a woman again. King Shahrayar decided that he would take a new bride every night and in the morning he would cut off their heads. The king, in his madness, brought death to most of the women of the village. The Vizier's daughter, Shahrazad, had an idea that would hopefully stop the killing of more women in the village and save the innocents. Shahrazad had a plan to tell King Shahrayar a different story every night and end on a cliffhanger, keeping the king in suspense so as not to kill her and then she could continue the story another day. King Shahrayar keeps Shahrazad alive and around through stories and her compassionate personality. Shahrazad knows the king very well, this gives her the means to develop a plan for his escape. “[She] had read books on literature, philosophy and medical books. He knew the poem by heart…and knew the sayings and maxims of sages and kings” (652). Shahrazad knows she can keep the king at her mercy with stories. He cleverly uses stories convincing the king without him knowing of his plan, the high official Vizier, eventually lets king Shahrayar know that he may take his daughter Shahrazad. She tells her sister "Listen...When I go to the king, I will send for you, and when you come to see me that the king has done with me, say, 'Sister, if you are not sleepy, tell us a story'" (566). This will make the audience aware that they have carefully planned everything. With Shahrazad exploiting the sexual desires of kings, she can keep herself alive every night. Shahrayar, as stated in the text, called Dinarzad and made her sleep under the couple's bed. The lyrics also imply that she takes part in their sexual acts. Dinarzad and Shahrazad know that by sacrificing themselves they keep the women of the kingdom safe. Shahrazad is portrayed as a compassionate woman. He does this not only by saving the women of the kingdom, but by putting his own life on the line. She explains her story by saying that if there is a cliffhanger at the end, "This will make the king stop his practice, save [herself], and free the people (566). This quote refers to the saved women who were beheaded . The stories told every night by Shahrazad are intended to show him how to convince the king that a woman should not be allowed to cause so much pain that he has imposed on his kingdom. Thanks to Shahrazad and his creative thinking, he prevents women of the village to fall to fate as has happened to so many others. The king is known for his intelligence and knowledge of literature and philosophy. With his knowledge, Shahrazad can devise a plan and use it to convince King Shahrayar to stop killing innocent women. With Shahrazad's sexual advances, amazing stories and Dinarzad's help, the plan succeeds.