Storytelling for Week 5: Aladdin and the Lamp

Author's Note:

The story of Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp is being told to the sultan by his wife, Scheherazade. For years the sultan had married a woman at night, then had her murdered in the morning. This repeated until Scheherazade came along, who tells him a story every morning but ends on a cliff-hanger, prompting the sultan to let her live until the next day to continue the story. I kept most parts of this story the same, except for the competition between the genies. I also added the ending where the sultan makes a promise to his wife, because who doesn't like a happy ending?!

Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp 1:

Sire, I have yet another story, even more magnificent than my last. May your highness permit me to tell the tale of Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp?

“My dearest Scheherazade, your past story was better than your last, which was better than the one before that, and so on. I cannot imagine this story being even greater than the last, but I would love to hear it,” said the Sultan.

Sire, there was once a poor boy, Aladdin, who lived in China. His father was a tailor and his mother worked in the home. One day, Aladdin was playing the street as he normally did when a magician from Africa encountered him. The magician, however, did not reveal his identity and told Aladdin that he was a long-lost uncle. The magician was able to fool Aladdin’s mother as well and began to shower Aladdin with riches unlike anything he had ever seen.

The next day, the magician took Aladdin on a long journey into the desert, where he used his magical powers to make a ring rise from the ground. The magician then instructed Aladdin to grab the ring and walk into the underground cavern that would appear. Once inside, Aladdin is told to be careful to touch nothing except a magical lamp, which he should bring back to his uncle and then be greatly rewarded. In saying this, the magician had no intention of rewarding Aladdin, but being poor, Aladdin jumped at the opportunity.

Once he retrieved the lamp, Aladdin refuses to hand it over until the magician helps him out of the cave. Enraged, the magician closes the cavern and makes haste back to Africa, leaved Aladdin trapped underground.

Aladdin is completely alone, but not without a few material possessions. In his anger, the magician forgot to retrieve the magical ring from Aladdin, who also possesses the magic lamp. While inspecting these two items, a genie appears from the ring and a separate genie appears from the lamp. Realizing that he is now in a good position, Aladdin begins to bargain with the two genies. After getting the genies to argue over which is the more powerful, Aladdin promises to free whatever genie can get him the most happiness in life.

Immediately, the genie of the ring transports Aladdin out of the cave and onto a beautiful island. On this island Aladdin has a marble castle to live in, all the riches he could ever want, and hundreds of servants. Aladdin soon realizes that something is still missing, which prompts the genie of the lamp to transport Aladdin back home, where he would soon find the woman of his dreams.

“Scheherazade, your stories never cease to amaze me. You have proven yourself as a loyal wife and great companion. I no longer want your father to fear for your life, so from this day forth I shall promise to keep you my wife as long as I may live.” After hearing this from the Sultan, Scheherazade continued to tell stories every morning and the sultan kept his promise.

Aladdin being trapped by the magician. 

Bibliography

Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp 1, from Arabian Nights' Entertainment by Andrew Lang (1898).

Image Info: Illustration by Albert Robida. Web Source: Wikipedia.