Another Tale of an Ugly Man and his Beautiful Wife

This story comes from the famous 1001 Arabian Nights. According to tradition, one tale is told each night, for 1001 nights, by King Shah Bakht's Vizier al-Rahwan in an effort to ward off the king's wrath. The Tale of the Ugly Man and His Beautiful Wife is number three hundred fifteen out of one thousand one stories.

An Arab man is roaming the desert when he comes across a very ugly man who is married to a very beautiful woman. When he asks about this "strange coincidence," the husband tells their story. A man was looking for his camel when he wandered into the beautiful woman's camp. As he tried to relieve himself, he was chased by the dogs and fell into a pit. The woman heard the noise and tried to rescue him, but she too fell into the pit. At first the village thought that the two had dissappeared together to elope, but after four days the couple was found in the pit and saved. Since the young man had no evil intentions with the beautiful woman, the only solution to save their honor was to marry the couple, quickly.

Because the man was virtuous, if ugly, he is rewarded with his new and beautiful wife. To me it seems as though the wife is being punished for being too curious when she hears a noise and comes out, alone, to inspect the situation. He departure from her cultural and sexual role, just like Bluebeard's many wives, and her curiosity combine to force this poor woman into a marriage with an ugly man.