The Sultan's Dilemma Flashcards
How does the play open?
With an executioner and a man condemned to death
When is the execution going to take place?
The sentence will be carried out at dawn prayer
Who is Muezzin?
The person who gives the call to prayer at the five daily appointed times
What happens if the condemned man tell his crime to the executioner?
His head will be cut right away
What is the executioner trying to do at the beginning of the play?
Fall asleep and rest so that he can perform his work well
What do the executioner and the condemned man decide to do until dawn prayer?
Have a drink together
What does the executioner promise the condemned man to do?
Sing
Why does the executioner and the maid get in a fight?
The executioner was being too loud, and the maid’s mistress was sleeping
Who gave the order to the executioner?
The Vizier
What does the lady do to postpone the execution?
She invites Muezzin for a drink at her house
What does the sultan give to the executioner?
A fair trial in accordance with his wish, and the Chief Cadi is in charge of his trial
What was the condemned man crime?
He said that the sultan was a slave and has not yet been manumitted, and that a person bearing such a stigma is not entitled to rule over the country
Who proves the Sultan that he has not been manumitted?
The Chief Cadi
Why hasn;t the sultan been manumitted?
because the Sultan collapsed suddenly following a heart attack, and departed his life before manumitting the new sultan
What does Chief Cadi represent in the play?
He represents the law, and is against the conspiracy Vizier suggests
What does the Vizier represent in the play?
He represents the Sword, and suggest that death should follow to any person who denies the fact that the sultan has been manumitted
What solution does Chief Cadi offer?
Put the sultan for sale by public auction, and the person to whom he is knocked down thereafter manumits him
Why does the Vizier stop the sultan from killing Chief Cadi?
Because doing so would brand the sultan with brutality and make him loath, since chief cadi represents the civil law
What do the wine merchant and the shoemaker talk about before the auction>
About how they could employ the sultan if they could afford buying him
Who offer the most money in the auction?
The lady who is considered as a whore in the district
What the lady’s request before signing the deed?
Have the Sultan as a guest for a single night
What does the Sultan understand about the lady?
That the man in her house are simply guests, and she only throws banquets with these guests who are poets and singers..a tradition she continued after her husband died
What do the Vizier and Chief Cadi do to snatch th Sultan away from the house before dawn?
They make the Muezzin call the dawn prayer at midnight
What does the Sultan give as a gift to the lady by the end of the play?
A ruby
