The Lady

and Her
Five
Suitors
Survey of Afro-Asian Literature LIT 24
 Reporters:

• Meryll Rose Molina

• Chennie A. Miole
• Eicess Kim S. Medel
• Shenia E. Masamlok
• Annelyn Rose Z. Nicolas
 Lesson
Outcomes:
At the end of the lesson, the students can

1 2 3
Understand and give Analyze the plot of the Identify the various
proper analysis to the story; literary elements in the
text; story.
 Analysis
Background of the literary piece
This literary piece is one of the collections of Largely Middle
Eastern and Indian Stories of The Thousand and One Nights,
also called The Arabian Nights with uncertain date and
authorship. The Lady and Her Five Suitors is one of the stories
narrated by a woman, Shahrazad; each evening she tells an
entertaining story to the King, leaving it incomplete and
promising to finish it the following night. The king so eager to
hear the end, that he puts off her execution from day to day and
finally abandons his cruel plan.
 Literary Piece

Setting
Persia, in woman’s house
 Literary Piece

Characters
• Woman - beautiful , married woman, and merchant class
• Man- traveler and husband of the woman
• Young Man- handsome, lover of the woman

The Five Men

• Chief of Police- who puts young man in prison
• Cadi- a judge
• Vizier- a prime minister
• King- a male ruler
• Carpenter- who made the cabinet with five compartments.
 Analysis: Summary of the Literary Piece

Exposition
The lady’s husband went to a business trip and
never returned. Out of sheer boredom, the lady
fell in love with a handsome young man, and
they loved each other exceedingly.
 Analysis: Summary of the Literary Piece

Rising Action
Unfortunately, her lover quarreled with another man so was
sent to jail. The lady thought an effective strategy to release
his husband. The lady invites all the important people of state
to her house: The Chief of Police, Cadi, Vizier, King and
Carpenter are tricked into her home as they all desire her. To
get rid of her suitors, she asked a carpenter to make a cabinet
with five compartments. The cabinet was then delivered the
next day
 Analysis: Summary of the Literary Piece

Climax
As each visitor arrived, he was given food and clothes.
When someone knocks on the door, the lady suddenly
panics and hides her suitor inside each compartment of
the closet. The suitor then follows her with the fear that
it would be her husband who is knocking.
 Analysis: Summary of the Literary Piece

Falling Action
They are all put into a cabinet because they each time
fear the next one to be the lady’s husband. The carpenter
is also locked up because he has a dispute with the lady
over the size of the cabinet.
 Analysis: Summary of the Literary Piece

Denouement
Finally, after she went to the jail to give the release note
made by the king for her, she then went away with her
lover leaving her suitors trapped inside the cabinet. The
suitors were released by the neighbors after urinating on
each other. They told the neighbors about who they
were because of the clothes they were wearing.
 Literary Piece

Conflict
Man vs. Man

POV
Third Person POV
 Literary Piece

Tone Mood
Cunning Intrigue
Outwit Amuse
 Literary Piece

Issues
• Trickery
• Infidelity
• Morally Corrupt
 Literary Piece

Symbolism
• Garments, Foods, and kissing the ground-
customs and practices for guests
• Genie – Islamic beliefs
• Qur’an- Protection
 Literary Piece

Messages
• A man can do anything for love, even sacrificing
themselves just to save the man or their loved ones.

• A man who is not ignorant knows how to defend herself\

himself against injustices and any deceptive pursuit.
• A man who loves someone will not do something that
could break their heart.
 Literary Piece

Theme
“A man who is not ignorant leads to
ingenious triumph over deceptive pursuits.”
 References

Washington State University. (2016, November 4). https://brians.wsu.edu/2016/11/04/the-lady-

and-her-five-suitors-from-the-thousand-and-one-nights/?
fbclid=IwAR1XQRFvMRI4UFXu7VHW4lUDhlna-RxPa1wrNp2pu8xwdXdajeLyIXZ13K4

Log in or sign up to view. (n.d.-b). https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.kent.ac.uk%2Fewto

%2Fprojects%2Fanthology%2Fantoine-galland.html%3Ffbclid
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u1ur3aqIlu5l5zgwrq7sOw8epjaZbKbCW4af0I6U_36VSCeoqlS8BtyJ45Abqq5KQzZLrFJZEunoHIGr337C3R_TdU
iKRiLcGhqn6uZ3AqxbfyXsKn4VWg