What ideas about women and femininity do we see in the portrayals of Essay

What ideas about women and femininity do we see in the portrayals of Layla and Rabia - Essay Example Like other Muslim girls, she is bound to be loyal and humble to her the choice of her male guardians. Such position of the girls like Layla ultimately reveals that a woman in a Muslim male dominated society has lived as a plaything at the hand of the male counterparts. The story of â€Å"Layla and Majnun† starts with the description of a wealthy businessman, Sayyid, who reaches a position of power and prestige in his tribal society. But the grief of Sayyid is that he does not have any child. So he prays to Allah for a son who would inherit his wealth after he retires. Subsequently, his prayer is granted. Now, he has a son, named Qays, who is a beautiful young man. At the age of ten, Qays meets Layla and becomes amazed by her beauty. He â€Å"sought to woo her, but he knew not how: / He gazed upon her cheek, and, as he gazed, / Loves flaming taper more intensely blazed.† (Nizami 12) Both of the two fall in love with each other, as the poet says, â€Å"Love conquerd both—they never dreamt to part† (Nizami 16). But soon Layla’s tribe prohibited her to meet Qays in order to save her honor. Thus, Qays is detached from his lover and left open to meet his destiny: â€Å"A madman he became — but at the same time a poet, the harp of his love and of his pain.† (Nizami 7) This simple story of Qays and Layla’s love reveals a lot of the womanhood in the Arabian male dominated society. In a society, where women do not have their says, Layla lives â€Å"between the water of her tears and the fire of her love† (Nizami 25). In this society, she does not have the right to choose Qays as her husband; rather she has to comply with the tribe’s norms and traditions. In a sense, having no right to live on her own Layla has to live the life of a bandit in her tribe. Against her desire, she has been â€Å"removed/ Among the Najd mountains, where / She cherishd still the thoughts of him she loved, / And her