The role of women in The Arabian Nights and The Tale of Genji by ShikibuIn the modern world, women work, vote, run for office and the list goes on. on. In most areas, women are equal to men. However, this was not always the case. In centuries past, women were not considered equal to men socially, intellectually, or politically and were considered incapable of accomplishing anything of value. As a result, many cultures viewed women as property whose sole purpose was to be submissive to men. The view of women as mere objects is evident in various literary works throughout the ages. Two classic literary works that illustrate this are The Arabian Nights and The Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu. Although set in different times and cultures, The Tale of Genji and The Arabian Nights share the common theme of viewing women as mere objects. Women only serve to satisfy the desires and expectations of men, the only difference being that Shahrazad, the female protagonist of The Arabian Nights, manages to rise above the limited expectations of a society dominated by men. men. Shikibu's classic novel, The Tale of Genji, illustrates the role of women in Japanese culture during the Heian period of Japanese history, which spanned from 794 to 1185 AD (Heian period). The novel's plot centers on the imperial court of the fictional Emperor Kiritsubo. The protagonist, Genji, is the son of Emperor Kiritsubo and a low-ranking but favored concubine and faces various trials throughout the novel. As he lacked political support at court, partly due to his mother's low status and lack of family ties, Emperor Kiritsubo removed Genji from the line of succession...... middle of paper.. ....e of Genji Takes is set in the imperial court of a Heian-era emperor of Japan, while The Arabian Nights is set in Persia during the Sasanian Empire. However, although set in very different times and cultures, these two literary works both present women as powerless and as mere possessions of men, without social, intellectual, or political influence. However, these two literary works differ in one key aspect. The female protagonist of The Arabian Nights rises above the oppressive limitations placed on women in the male-dominated society in which the story takes place and succeeds in taking control of her own life and saving the lives of many women. In this she succeeds not only in saving her own life, but also in preventing more women from being executed and thus saving other women throughout the kingdom..