Sinbad the Sailor - A Non-Classical Hero

             The stories on Sinbad the Voyager from the Arabian nights, are fantastic tales of voyages of a merchant named Sinbad. The stories are told as Sinbad tells them to a humble porter named Hindbad, who after complaining about his lack of financial fortune outside of Sindbad's luxurious home is invited into Sindbad's home. Sinbad offers Hindbad dinner and a hundred sequins, a substantial amount, to listen to his stories. Throughout the stories of Sinbad the Voyager in the Arabian Nights, the main character Sinbad lacks the classic properties of a hero and is only respected because of his exotic stories and his wealth.
             Sinbad throughout his stories fails to prove himself worthy and respected for any virtues that make up a hero. He lacks such fundamental virtues as courage strength and mental superiority. His only distinguishing traits are luck and perseverance and his love of travel. However, although Sinbad may be an appealing and charismatic character it's the stories that are appealing and not his behavior. The fantastic creatures and lands that Sinbad speaks of are the main attraction of the stories and Sinbad is merely a merchant traveler who lives to tell their tale. Although he is the one who manages to escape with his life when confronted with the perils however it's luck that liberates him from the hazardous situations.
             Sinbad fails to show any courage in any of his seven voyages. His apparent acts of bravery are brought forth by his will to live and are not influenced by any noble cause. He musters up enough courage to burn out the single eye of the giant on an island, but only in the desperation of having watched his companions eaten by the giant. Even in that situation, they poke out the eye of the monster without any courageous encounter, in fact they poke out the eye of the monster when he is asleep and then they run for their lives. In Sindbad's encounter with the roc, or the gigantic two-headed bird, he ties himself t...

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Sinbad the Sailor - A Non-Classical Hero. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 10:35, July 06, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/43703.html