Tuesday, September 22, 2020

Reading Week 5 B: Aladdin and the Magic Lamp

 Aladdin and the Magic Lamp

  The Arabian Nights' Entertainments by Andrew Lang and illustrated by H. J. Ford (1898) Source.
  • Poor tailor had a son, Aladdin who just like to play all day and that grieved his father so much he died, even though the mother prayed and cried he still didnt change his ways
  • one day while playing he was asked his age and was asked if he was the son of Mustapha the tailor, and he said yes but he died a ling while ago
  • The stranger was a famous african magician and hugged him and kissed him saying hhe was his uncle and he knew because aladdin looked like his brother and told him to go tell his mom
  • Aladdin did so and the mother said she knew of the brother but thought he was dead. she prepared supper and sent aladdin to go get his uncle who came with wine and fruit kissing the place where his brother used to sit. 
  • He asked what Aladdin did for a living and he hung his head and his mother cried. Seeing he did nothing the uncle offered to buy a shop and stock it so that aladdin had a business he could run 
  • Next day he bought him a nice suit and showed him the sights  and brought him home where his mother rejoiced upon seeing her son all cleaned up
  • Next day he led aladdin through some pretty gardens outside of the city then sat at a fountain and pulled out a cake that they divided and ate then journeyed almost to the mountains while aladdin begged to go back the uncle just kept telling stories 
  • they reach the valley between two mountains and uncle says he will make fire if aladdin goes and gets some wood 
  • when the fire was going the uncle threw a powder on it and said some magic words and the earth trembled and opened a revealed a square stone with a brass ring in the middle, Aladdin tried to run but his uncle caught him and knocked him down
  • Aladdin asks what he did to warrant that and his uncle says dont worry but listen to me because there is a treasure below that can only be your and no one else can touch it but you have to do exactly what I say
  • he opens the door saying the name of his father and grandfather stairs appear and Uncle says to go down and then there will be 3 halls that all lead to a fruit garden but he cant touch anything else or he will die. but to grab the oil from a lighted lamp and bring it back to him
  • he gives aladdin a ring and wishes him luck then aladdin does everthing and Uncle tried to get aladdin to quickly give him the lamp before he was out of the cave but aladen refused to untilhe was out of the cave
  • Uncle got mad and threw a fit and then put more powder on the fire closing the stone on aladdin and disappeared from persia forever. He was not Aladdins uncle but just a con magician who wanted to use aladdin and then kill him afterwards
  • Aladdin was stuck in the cave for two days and then prayed as he did he rubbed the ring and immediately a genie rose out of the earth saying he was slave of the ring and would obey him in all things
  • Aladdin asked to be freed and he was but then fainted and when he came to he told his mother what went down and showed her al lthe fruits he gathered which in actuality wher precious stones. he asked his mom for food and she said she didnt have anythig but to sell the litte bit of cotton she has 
  • he told her not to worry and said he would sell the lamp instead but because it was dirty she tried to rub it clean and thegenie apeared and asked what she wanted but she fainted
  • aladdin asked for food and genie returned with a silve rbowl, 12 plates with rich meat, and two silver cups with two bottles of wine
  • mom comes to and ask where the food came from but aladdin says to just eat and they sat and ate all day when aladdin tells his mom the truth of the lamp and she begged him to sell it because she wants nothing to do with devils
  • he says no because chance gave it to them as well as the ring and then sold one of the silver plates and kept going until they had none and then aksed the genie for food the same way everyday selling the plates the next for many years
  • one day Aladdin heard an order that everyone was to stay inside shutters closed so that the Sultan's daughter may bathe
  • Aladdin was seized by desire to see her face which was near impossible as she was always veiled. he hid behind the door of the bath and peeped through a hole and he saw her beautiful face as she lifted her veil and fell in love instantly. 
  • he went home a changed man which frightened his mother and he told her how he loved the princess and could not live without her and that he will ask for her hadnd. 
  • his mom laughed at this but aladdin went for it anyway so she got a napkin adn filled it with the fruits from the magic garden so they could please the sultan
  • mom goes in and sees the sultan who took no notice of her and she did this for a week until the Sultan told his Vizir of a woman carrying a napkin around in his audience chamber every day and to let her up next time
  • Next day she arrives and kneels at the sultan who tells her to rise and asks what she wants.
  • she hesitated so sultan cleared the room of everyone but Vizer and she told him about Aladdin's violent love for Princess and asks for forgiveness and prayed he would forget her but he has not and tells of how he threatened to do some deperate deed unless she asked for him
  • she then asks for forgiveness for her and Aladdin
  • Sultan asks about the napkin, she shows him and asks the Vizir what he thinks. Vizir wanted the princess to marry his son so he said to wait 3 months hoping his son would  come up with another present by then
  • he conveyed this to Aladdin's mom  and he waited patiently for two months when everyone talks of the son of Vizir marrying the princess 
  • knowing Sultan broke his promise, Aladdin commands the genie to bring him the bride and groom tonight then went to his room . 
  • Genie obliges and aladdin tells him to put the groom in the gold and return him in the morning leaving aladdin with the princess
  • aladdin explains not to worry because she was promised to him by her unjust father. Princess does not enjoy this and has a miserable evening sleeping nect to aladdin. they are both returned to the palace at daybreak
  • the Vizir's son hid in the morning when the Sultan came to tell her good morning, but the princess would not speak, the mother came and asks why and she finally tells her of the nights events and the mother chalks it up to a dream
  • This happens again but this time when princess does not speak, Sultan threatens to cut off her head, she spills the beans and tells them to ask the Vizir's son, he backs this up and says that even though he loves the princess, he cannot go through that again and wanted to be seperated from her, they celebrated
  • when the 3 months was over Aladdin sent his mother to remind the Sultan of his promise, as his mother stood, he remembered his promise and after seeing her poverty he is less inclined to keep it, Vizir told him to ask a price that no man could obtain
  • he tells her if aladdin can bring 40 basins of gold and jewels carried by forty black slaves and led by many white ones splendidly dressed. 
  • mother tells aladdin who is quick to reassure her it can be done and gets the genie to do so and soon 80 slaves arrive dresses in fine wears and basins of gold on their heads, aladdin sent the slaves and  his mother to the palace
  • Sultan says heck yes and sends Aladdin's mom back to get him and be quick
  • Aladdin has the genie make a dcented bath and give him an embroidered habit and 20 slaves to attend him then 6 for his mother and for her to be beautifully dressed and 10,000 gold coins in 10 purses
  • no one recognized him and when sultan saw him he got up from his throne and hugged him then lead him to a feast in the hall intending to marry the princess off  that day
  • aladdin says no because he needs to build a palace fit for her
  • he asks genie to build a palace of fine marble, with jasper, agate, and other prescious stones and in the middle a large hall with a dome, 4 walls that has massy gold and silver with 6 windows on each and all but one left unfinshed which must be set with diamonds and rubies. he must have stables with horses and grooms and slaves 
  • it was finished the next day and genie carried him there to show him all the deeds carried out and even laying velvet carpet from the Sultan's palace to Aladdin's 
  • mother dressed and walked back with her slaves where the Sultan had sent musicians with trumpets and cymbals to announce them
  • that night the princess said goodbye to her dad and set out on the carpet to aladdin's palace with his mother right by her and 100 slaves behind them.
  • She was charmed by aladdin who ran to see her and apologized for his boldness and if he displeased her but she was just so beautiful, she let him know that she willingly obeyed her father in the marriage after seeing aladdin the day prior
  • after the wedding aladdin led her to the hall where a feast took place and they danced until midnight
  • the next day he invited the sultan who was amazed but was confused as to why one window was not finished
  • Aladdin says that he did it purposefully so that the Sultan may have the joy of finishing the palace
  • Sultan sent for the best jewelers in the city who couldnt find enough jewels so the Sultan said to use his own, then it still took so long that aladdin had them undo it and send back the jewels and had the genie do it
  • that surprised Sultan so he visited aladdin with Vizir and Sultan admired the finished window but Vizir suspected enchantment
  • everyone loved aladdin as he was gentle and made captain of the Sultan's armies and won several battles but still remained moddest
  • Word of Aladdin spread to the Evil Magician in Africa and knew this was because of the lamp and travelled non stop until he reached the capital of china where everyone talked of a marvelous palace and when he asked what it was they told him it was Prince Aladdin's and is then offered to be led to it 
  • seeing it he knew for sure it was the work of a genie and went mad with rage and sought the lamp so he could drive aladdin to poverty
  •  aladdin was gone hunting so the magician bought a dozen new lamps and went around exchanging old for new, the princess heard the comotion and had a slave check it out
  • then another slave let them know about the dirty old genie lamp not knowing what it was and so the princess exchanges it.
  • he then leaves the city and waits until nightfall then asks the genie to take the princess and entire palace and him to a lonely place in africa
  • Sultan wakes up and does not see the palace and Vizir tells him it is enchantment and Sultan believes him now. they fetch aladdin with 30 men and bind him in chains and forced them on foot to the palace. armed people followed to make sure aladdin was not harmed because they loved him
  • Sultan ordered him to be beheaded and right as he was going to die Vizir noticed the people forced their way into the palace to save aladdin and Sultan was scared and let Aladdin go
  • Aladdin then asked what he did and Sultan shows aladdin that the palace was gone and that he wants them back but mostly his daughter and give aladdin 40 days to find her and if he failed he would dies
  • he wandered the first three days like a madman asking about his place but they only laughed 
  • finally he knelt at a river to pray before he threw himself in to die but he rubbed the ring which summoned the genie from the cave. He asks for his life to be saved and his palace back. genie says he cant do that because he is the slave of the ring and that he must ask the slave of the lamp for his request.
  • aladdin asks then if he could just take him to be under his dear wife's window  and found himself in africa where he fell asleep and awoke to birds singing and saw all of his surff there 
  • The princess woke up early as she hadnt slept well since she was captured, he also required her to keep his company once a day she was so harsh to him that he did not want to live at the palace all the time
  • as she dressed one of her maids saw aladdin and let her know. she ran and opened the window and seeing aladdin made a noise that drew his attention and called to him with joy, they kissed
  • he asks that before they speak  of anything else she tells him what she knows of the old lamp of his and she tells him and now aladdin knows who he is dealing with and asks where the lamp is now
  • she says the magician keeps it with him and that he wants princess to break faith with aladdin and marry him saying aladdin was beheaded by the sultan but she says she only cries in response fearing but knowing the likelihood he will use violence
  • Aladdin comforts her and left to change clothes with the first person he met and bought a special powder then went back to her. He tells her to put on her most beautiful clothes and then to lead the magician to believe she has forgotten about aladdin and to be sweet to him and ask to taste the wine of his country. when he leaves to get it, aladdin will tell her the next steps
  • she does this and dresses herself nicely for the first time since leaving home. Aladdin gives her the powder and tells her to put it in the her cup. when magician poured the wine she toasts to her health and switches glasses with him as a sign of forgiveness. 
  • before he drank the magician made a speech in praise of her but the princess cut him off asking that she may drink first and then let him finish. she set her cup to her lips and left it there  while the magician drained his cup then fell back dead
  • The princess opened the door for aladdin and embraced him but he told her she must  leave him so he can finish the work. he takes the lamp back and bade the genie to take everything back to where they were supposed to be and the princess only felt two tiny shocks and did not even realize she was back home
  • Sultan was in his closet mourning his daughter when he looked out his window and saw the palace again and he hurried there where aladdin met him and told him that the magician had done this and showed him the dead  body so he knew for sure
  • they had a ten day feast and everyone thought they would live in peace 
  • the magician had a younger brother who was possibly more evil than he who traveled to China to avenge the death of his brother and to visit a pious woman named Fatima thinking she may be helpful
  • he broke into her cell and held her at knife point demanding to do his bidding , he switched clothes with her and colored his face like hers then killed her so she couldn't tell anyone
  • he went towards the palace with all the people thinking he was the holy woman and got to the palace with such a crowd that the princess had a slave look at what was happening and she said that it was Fatima curing people
  • the princess long wanted to meet her so she sent for "Fatima" who offered a prayer to her health and prosperity upon arrival. the princess had "her" sit and begged for her to stay forever. the fake fatima agreed but kept her veil down and showed her the hall thinking nothing of it
  • fatima says it is pretty but she only wants one thing, a roc's egg hung from the dome and the princess then wanted it, when aladdin returned he noticed she was grouchy and asked why and she said it was because she wanted the roc's egg
  • he commanded the genie to bring him a roc's egg and then the genie screamed so loud saying that he has done everything but now he wants be to bring his master and hang him up in the hall and that the palace deserves to be burned with aladdin and his wife inside but notes that this requwst is not from his wife but rather the magicians brother who is disguised as the holy woman he murdered and that aladdin should hide 
  • aladdin went to the princess saying his head hurt and to get fatima to heal him. when fake fatima gets close, aladdin stabs "her" and the princess is angry because she thinks she is real Fatima.
  • Aladdin tells her of the deception and after this they lived in piece and even succeeded the Sultan when he died and left a long line of kings 
Disney's Representation of Aladdin Image Source


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