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  • Essay / Female power in The Decameron and The 1001 Nights

    Historically, women were placed in lower social positions than men. Women were not allowed to play any significant role in society other than that of wife or mother. Decameron and 1001 Nights demonstrate this. Even though they do not have significant social status, women have the upper hand in most aspects of the male-female relationship. A repeated reference in medieval writing to a body of obscure knowledge marked by both male and female authors is a promising avenue of approach for the many writers who use, rather than endorse, misogynistic topoi. The Decameron and 1001 Nights address questions of female knowledge and power regarding male collective understanding and capabilities, as we will see below. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”? Get an original essay Starting from the beginning, the status and condition of women to frame his thoughts on ethical and social issues, explaining that his work s are aimed at women because they need comfort more than what his stories offer. For centuries, men have been distracted from the world to ease their anxiety, so women should also benefit from at least the diversion offered by the tales of the Decameron. Men can forget their sorrows in action, so women should benefit from language and its vicarious pleasures while they can be submissive whenever they need it. In many storylines, Boccaccio characterizes women as protagonists who do not enthusiastically accept the traditionally understood role, being passive towards men and having no voice in a male-dominated society. With Boccaccio comparing men and women, it seems that Boccaccio favors women as the superior sex in terms of good and evil. Looking at the stories in which Boccaccio examines the dynamics of relationships between men and women, it appears that the women are lusty and more lustful. Additionally, in cases where the male character appears to be the victor or to outperform the female, the men usually achieve victory through deceptive means. In general, it is fair to say that Boccaccio describes women as superior to men in many ways, some affirmative and some negative. Boccaccio constantly refers to the real feelings expressed by women, which are based on their own choices and are not influenced by male influence. In a way, it shows that love can be a delightful and playful experience, but not in the sense that it is purely a game and should not be taken lightly either. The fact that love in Boccaccio's stories often ends tragically, in tragedy or in the permanent bond of marriage, is worth pondering. Storybook scenes are not a natural environment for playboys. On the tenth day, Boccaccio tells a story of contradictions, potentially the most egregious comments. Boccaccio may have included this story in a non-corresponding way to emphasize his message and draw more attention to it. Griselda, a lower class woman, is primarily abused throughout her life by her husband. Boccaccio's tone in the story is one of sarcasm. It is possible that this story, in particular, was intended to show Boccaccio's women that constant will and dedication could have been misapplied. The intention might have been to teach women not to accept unfair treatment from their male counterparts. A story with a themesimilar is that of 1001 nights. Through the many stories told, we see that women are seen only as symbols of pleasure, as they can only maintain control through sex, desire, and beauty. The 1001 Nights Shahrazad represents feminism with her wisdom and storytelling, and the reader can see how she overcomes and changes Shahrayar. This design juxtaposing the role of women in society and Shahrazad shows us the real value that women hold on to because they are simply equal to their counterparts. Also, an interesting correlation with gender/power relations and with a class present in 1001 Nights. Here is this common theme in stories. Shahrazad tells Sharayar that the stories can be called as misogynistic as some stories, including those of men causing the downfall of women. An example is the short story “The Merchant and His Wife”. When analyzing this story, most readers will be shocked by the meaning the story is trying to communicate, that men should be able to beat their wives into submission. Upon first reading, there was a bit of confusion as to why Shahrazad tells this specific story to edit Shahrayar; strangely, I found that she tells this story to reveal an observation of him and his bad behavior. The overall desired message was to show that abuse will not force submission. Telling this story surprisingly works because she doesn't get killed by the king the next day. One of the main themes of 1001 Nights is the oppressor and the oppressed. Readers are confronted with this tension which manifests itself through powerful Djinns locked in bottles, kings and their servants, parents and their children, but above all through a woman's fight for survival in a world created for men. This is why the women in the stories are so cunning: because cunning and cunning are the first resort of the weak. These female characters become cunning to defeat the men who oppress them. They fought to make their own decisions and live according to their own beliefs about freedom, sexuality and love. The women in these stories, in fact, find their way – again and again we see the powerless become dominant and the strong weaken. The reader sees a divergence at work in Shahrayar, the all-powerful king. His decision is absolute, but his enormous love for a woman, his wife, is his vulnerability. Shahrayar discovers that she has been unfaithful, this pushes him to the point of madness, his love becomes hatred and his strength has become his flaw. Shahrayar makes a bloodthirsty declaration: “I, Shahrayar, will marry a virgin every night, kissed only by her mother. I will kill her the next morning and thus protect myself from the cunning and deception of women, because there is not a single chaste woman on this earth! The decree of total domination, Shahrayar's vow to bend an entire kingdom to his mad will, is, ironically, a testament to his wife's enduring emotional power over him. Slowly, he succumbs to another usurpation in the form of Shahrazad's misleading narratives. She was supposed to be his prisoner, another of his wives, to be used sexually and murdered in the morning. Presumably he becomes her prisoner because he was addicted to her story, to her voice, to sitting with her at night. She chooses stories that reflect her difficult situation. All the characters plead for life. She does it brilliantly of course, by camouflaging herself with her little stories here and there on different subjects. The main idea is that you cease to be a human being if you immerse yourself in brutality and.