The reading of Thousand and One Nights is one that can be very closely related to the NY Times article Diana’s Ring Seals Prince William’s Marriage Plans. For example, Shahrazad and Kate Middleton are both very well educated. “The oldest daughter, Shahrazad had read books of literature, philosophy, and medicine. (414) Kate also went to a very prestigious school and is also very well educated. “Should Miss Middleton become Queen Catherine, she would be the first queen in British history to have a college degree, or indeed, to have any college education at all.”
It can also be inferred that both men in these instance fell in love because of the intelligence that these woman have. Kate and Prince William met at the same university and so they exchanged ideas, and opinions, which could have led to the initial attraction. Sometimes this type of attraction is just as powerful as sexual and so we must give some credit to Kate’s intelligence as something that Prince William fell in love with. In comparison, Shahryar fell in love with Shahrazad because of her ability to tell many tales and keep him interested in keeping her alive to tell these stories. There may have been sexual tension but the main source of stimulation was Shahrazad’s intelligence.
Another comparison that can be made is that both Shahrazad and Miss. Middleton entered dangerous situations. Shahrazad entered a more life-threatening situation where every night she would have to persuade the king to keep her alive for another day. In Miss. Middleton’s case it is more superstitious but the previous Princess, Lady Diana met a tragic demise and so Kate is entering the situation knowing what happened to the last princess. This however is highly superstitious but it is a fact nonetheless.
