Abstract
This thesis sheds light on the characters portrayals of women in Dante’s Divine Comedy and The Thousand and One Nights. In acquiring this information, we explore the different characterizations of women involved in the text and use it to assess the writers bias and conception of women. This can consist of their societal placement and their specific traits and behaviors as their roles are looked at in society. Both works represent women as lesser than standard and viewed as “slaves” needing a male figure in order to find a sense of worth or purpose or even to be valued in society. This is supported by many biblical and historical references. The epic poetry of Dante’s Divine Comedy and the tales of The Thousand and One Nights exhibit the old folklores of the 9th century thru the 13th century. The incorporation of the historical and biblical classification on women’s status in the male oriented worlds they live in. Comment by Aubrey Makayla Ebron: explores Comment by Aubrey Makayla Ebron: characterizations Comment by Aubrey Makayla Ebron: opinion Comment by Aubrey Makayla Ebron: included and incorporated Comment by Aubrey Makayla Ebron: incorporated Comment by Aubrey Makayla Ebron: demonstrate, lack, represented
In the 5th Canto of Dante’s Divine Comedy, it can be said Dante considered many women to be less rational and reasonable. The “Lady of Heaven” known as Mary is dramatized along with Lucia who is identified as St. Lucy, a 3rd century martyr and the patron saint of those afflicted with poor or terrible sight and Beatrice, Dante’s love and inspiration and glorified as a heavenly figure. Beatrice confronts Dante in Canto 2, where she appears in Limbo as “Divine Love”. Dante is about to abandon his first purpose when she appears as a comforting figure and prays that the poet Virgil can rescue Dante. She then reappears in Canto 30 of Purgatorio, when Virgil disappears. Comment by Aubrey Makayla Ebron: descends
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At first sight of her in Purgatorio, he is as overwhelmed as he was at the age of nine and is dazzled by her presence throughout the journey until she ascends again to her place in heaven, the point closest to God that he is allowed to reach. In contrast, in the Inferno, the circle of Lust is predominantly full of women, including Cleopatra, Dido, Helen of Troy and Francesca. Dante evokes women to be more of a temptation and show enticement than man. This means women can punish more men to the circle of Lust. Dante explores Eros, a sinful type of love, and perverted punishment of sin when one surrenders themselves to the highest temptation. Dante highlights the use of tarnished female body to emphasize the perversion punishment of sin along with the dangers of the female sexuality. Francesca’s story is related to the plotline of The Thousand and One Nights in relevance to Francesca being by her husband when he caught her having an affair with her brother. Francesca had her individuality connected to two male roles. Caïna is the circle of Cain where those who killed their kin are punished: “Love led us to one death. In the depths of Hell / Caïna waits for him who took our lives.’ / This was the piteous tale they stopped to tell. / And when I heard those world-offended lovers/ I bowed my head. At last the Poet spoke: / ‘What painful thoughts are these your lowered brow covers?’” (103-108). Dante displays Francesca as a gentle, magnificent, woman who is able to seduce men with her enthralling, captivating voice. Dante uses females prominently for sexual temptation and lust. This makes the female characters identified as flat characters and lack power and deep purpose. Comment by Aubrey Makayla Ebron: Beatrice is a heavenly figure Comment by Aubrey Makayla Ebron: evokes Comment by Aubrey Makayla Ebron: enchanting
In contrast, this 14th century Syrian manuscript paints the main character Shahrazad as cunning, smart, loyal, powerful, daring and confident. These adjectives are embedded within the text as Shahrazad uses her determination to take risks and change the male dominated lifestyle to her own terms. Shahrazad saves the women in her country by taking the risk of sleeping with the King Shahrayar in order to make him fall in love and spare her life. King Shahrayar was originally spiteful of all women because of what his previous wife had done to him by cheating on him. The reader could assume King Shahrayar’s wife cheated with the cook for a sense of normalcy and relieve the pressure of high status or to make the egotistical, selfish, “towering-knight”, feel low self esteem and undervalued. Throughout the story of the King Shahrayar and Shahrazad, the reader notices a pattern of the King taking his anger out on women and generalizing all women to be sex-slaves and concubines. The King takes pleasure in making women appear to have little value and worth. The King Shahrayar takes pride in getting “revenge” in all women because of something that only happened to him and his vizier. The King’s vizier exclaims: “Take that wife of mine and put her to death” (1093). The King generalizes all women to be unfaithful and unworthy of being treated like reasonable, honest human beings. Further on the Tale of the Merchant and His Wife, the merchant must not reveal what the ox said to the donkey in order to save his life, yet his wife is very persistent. She claims: “I insist and will not desist” (1096). She stands firm and will not be swayed by her husband’s begging and pleading. This is a strange and bizarre example of female empowerment. The story continues to undermine female existence. This is shown when the rooster replied: “Our master and friend claims to be wise, but he is foolish for he has only one wife, yet he does not know how to manage her” (1097). Then the dog continues to discuss how the wife must be punished and beaten. This form of mistreatment is dehumanizing and shows the male’s need for control and domination and women must show submission. Towards the end of the story Shahrazad leads the reader into her witty plan. She uses her knowledge of how men want to manage and have authority over women to make him fall in love with her submission and “respect”. Yet Shahrazad was shedding light and exposing the men’s fight and eagerness for supremacy. At the end of the play, Shahrazad reveals her strength by achieving her intentions. She uses her mental ability against the King and not sex. This is honorable and note-worthy because this stands against the status-quo of women only being good at sex.
In both works of literature, Divine Comedy and The Thousand and One Nights, women portray submissive and superior traits. In Dante’s Divine Comedy, most women are described fully based on beauty, yet Shahrazad plays a heroic figure based on her progressive intelligence and wit. During the time periods of both stories, women were only accounted for as sex-appealing figures without any powerful positions. Shahrazad stands out as a heroin of the tale by overpowering and refining the evil patterns of the King. In a region known for male-domination, Shahrazad exhibits female-empowerment by “dominating” the King’s mind and time. Shahrazad upholds the title of a hero because she refuses to follow her father’s wishes and marries the King to save other women from being killed. In other words, she put her life on the line to protect others from the danger. Comment by Aubrey Makayla Ebron: uphold
Works Cited
- Verdicchio, Massimo. “Irony and Desire in Dante’s Inferno 27.” Italica, no. 2, 2015, p. 285. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsglr&AN=edsgcl.497860222&site=eds-live.
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