The story of Ali Baba and the forty thieves is one of the most popular stories in the collection of “One Thousand and One Nights.” It is one of the evergreen stories that one would wish they were a part of, the great scheme of adventure, intelligence and good old sense of morality. Told in the context of an ancient Persian kingdom, Ali Baba is a story of the eponymous woodcutter who unintendedly discovers a den of stolen booty. The story of Ali Baba as he moves from the hills and avoids the traps of an army of intelligent marauders and pickpockets delivers the story in high suspense with a lot of intrigue. This story is very colorful and it deals with the affairs of human life hence relaying the notion that storytelling has no expiry date.
Table of Content:
- Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves
- Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves Summary
- Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves Short Story
- Moral of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves
Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves:
The story of Ali Baba and the forty Thieves remains to rank among the most famous of the hundreds of stories in the thousand and one nights or The Arabian Nights even to date or after many years of its writing. It is for these reasons as elementary as they are archetypal – the battle between the forces of good and evil; the victory of intelligence over brawn; the sin of avarice.
Believed to be narrated by Scheherazade to her husband, King Shahryar, the story is perhaps one of the most often acted out or even filmed scripts in literature and theater around the world. The main characters and dramatic events, along with the beautiful descriptions persistently featuring in the tale make the story still popular all over the world to this present day regardless of the eastern or western folklore.
Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves Summary:
There are two brothers in a small town in Persia, Ali Baba and Cassim who have quite distinct fates. Ali Baba is depicted as a poor wood cutter while on the other hand Cassim the character belongs to the rich merchant class. One day, while working in the forest, Ali Baba witnesses a group of forty thieves accessing a secret cave by uttering the magical phrase, “Open, Sesame!” He takes time and follows the thieves and uses the same words to gain entrance into the cave, only to find overwhelming stoke of goods that had been stolen.
Ali Baba takes a small portion of the wealth home, sharing the secret with his wife. His brother Cassim, consumed by greed upon learning of the discovery, visits the cave himself. However, he forgets the magic words to exit and is caught and killed by the returning thieves. Finally, when Ali Baba learns about the plight of his brother, he uses the help of Morgiana, an intelligent slave girl, to subdue the thieves and safeguard his family.
The climax of the story comes up when rogue bandits led by their clever captain plot to get revenge by trying to get into the house owned by Ali Baba. By outsmarting the thieves in every possible manner and coming up with tricks and intelligence, Morgiana is able to overcome the thieves. In the end she slays the thieves; their master who had disguised himself caparisoned as a merchant to execute Ali Baba. So, in gratitude, Ali Baba took Morgiana and freed her and gave her the hand of his son to wife.
Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves Short Story:
The short version of this story contains all the features that have made it one of the most popular legends. It starts with Ali Baba’s discovery of the cave of the thieves and the secret that opened the entrance to the cave. It does not take long to introduce the audience to Ali Baba’s honesty and his wicked brother Cassim to set stage for the struggle.
In the course of the story, the climax is brought to bear on the Sophisticated efforts the Thieves make in order to get to know Ali Baba and try to take back their loot. All the times that the film failed in delivering the impression reveals that Morgiana is a smart and loyal character who does everything to safeguard her master and his loved ones.
The plot of the complex and the story is more presented in a sentimental way focused on key scenes: Ali Baba who discovers the cave, Cassim who succumbs to greediness and Morgiana who plays a trick on the thieves. These two incidents help to bring out the lessons of the story by emphasizing on the vices of greed, and the virtue of the wise and loyal.
When boiled down to its essentials, all the fun and the sermonizing is still there. Rather, it turns into a dense-threaded story that enchants people and remains in their memory for a long time. Precisely because of their length, short stories contain much more tension and drama, so the newly acquainted audience can familiarize themselves with “The Arabian Nights”.
Moral of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves:
Fundamentally, the lesson to be learned from the story of Ali Baba and the forty thieves is the use of wrong means for achieving an end. All these were moral values that greatly helped to make this story interesting and relevant through the years.
At first, the subject of proverbs, pride, and humility, as well as the desire for more than what one can handle, and the consequences are illustrated in the story. Ali Baba, despite being rich after the victory and emergence into fame, continues to be a humble man. On the other hand Cassim is characterized by greed and he ends up being killed. This side by side contrast of the girls is used to teach the audience to never pursue wealth too much as it comes with dire consequences.
Second, there is the idea of the triumph of the intellect and cleverness over the physically strong brute. Morgiana, a slave girl, repeatedly outsmarts the forty thieves, demonstrating that cleverness and quick thinking are often more valuable than physical strength or numbers. This aspect of the story encourages readers to value and cultivate their intellectual abilities.
That is why, the importance of such values as loyalty and gratitude also signified in the context of the given tale. Despite the danger this poses to Morgiana, she remains loyal to Ali Baba and his family and is thus rewarded with her liberty together with a proper and advantageous marriage. This loss can also be also interpreted in the sense that loyalty and selflessness are values that should be rewarded.
In addition, the story has a message of warning concerning tactfulness when it comes to issues of marriage. Ali Baba’s calculated action of taking a small part of the treasure and not telling anyone the kind of wealth he had discovered is almost the complete opposite of Cassim. This change in behavior is useful to teach a lesson when wisdom is compared to the folly of hastiness.
Lastly, the tale imparts a message about the cyclical nature of justice. The thieves, who have amassed their wealth through dishonest means, ultimately face retribution for their crimes. This aspect of the story conventionalized the concept of ‘you reap what you sow,’ as those who exhibit vices face the hard consequences as compared to those who are virtuous.
In conclusion, it is safe to say that, “Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves” is an entertaining story that still captivates and teaches people from different parts of the globe. Its bright characters, the scope of the action, and the relevance of the moral at the base make it one of the most popular books in the world. This story from “The Arabian Nights” presents its audience with a fine blend of action, advice and the conscience that can be appreciated by people of different cultures and ages.
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