“The Thousand and One Nights” is a series of stories told by Shahrazad, wife of King Shahrayar of the Persian Empire. Shahrazad is a well educated woman. She has studied literature, philosophy, medicine and history. Kate Middleton, fiancée of Prince William, is also a well educated woman. According to the New York Times, if Middleton does become a queen, “she will be the first queen in British history to have a college degree, or indeed, to have any college education at all.” (A, 14)
Sharazad and Middleton are also brave enough to put themselves in a position where previous women in that position died. King Shahrayar makes his policy “to take every night the daughter of a merchant, or commoner, spend the night with her, them have her put to death the next morning.” (A, 414) This means that Sharazad is almost certain to die the next day. Kate Middleton is putting herself in the position of the late Queen Diana, who died in 1997. The difference between Sharazad‘s and Middleton’s situations is that Sharazad is almost certain to die the next day while Middleton might die if history repeats itself.
Diana’s Ring Seals Prince William’s Marriage Plans
