| Sheik Ahmed Ben Hassan | |
|---|---|
 | |
|
Real Name |
Sheik Ahmed Ben Hassan |
|
First Appearance |
The Sheik (1919) |
|
Original Publisher |
E. Nast & Grayson |
|
Created by |
Edith Maud Hull |
Origin[]
The 1919 novel opens in a hotel in the Algerian city of Biskra. A dance is being held, hosted by a young woman named Diana Mayo and her brother, Sir Aubrey Mayo. It transpires that Diana is planning to leave on a month-long trip into the desert, taking no one with her but an Arab guide. Nobody thinks this is a sensible idea, and Lady Conway disapprovingly attributes Diana's adventurous plan to her "scandalous" upbringing. Diana's mother had died giving birth to her and her father had killed himself from grief, with the result that Diana grew up tomboyish, with a freedom that at the time was normally only allowed to boys. Before Diana leaves on her journey, her independent character is further established when she refuses a proposal of marriage, explaining that she doesn't know what love is and doesn't want to know. Once she begins traveling in the desert, it is not long before she is kidnapped by the eponymous Sheik, Ahmed Ben Hassan. It turns out her guide had been bribed.
Ahmed takes Diana to his tent and rapes her, an event that happens between the second and third chapters. Diana spends a few months as Ahmed's captive, being raped regularly and brooding on her hatred for him and her self-loathing. Eventually, she is allowed increasing liberty and starts going riding with Ahmed's valet, Gaston. One day, she manages to escape Gaston on one of these rides and gallops away. She is quickly recaptured by Ahmed, however, and as they are riding back to camp, she is overcome by the sudden realization that she is in love with him. She knows she can say nothing of this, as Ahmed—who claims to find love dull—will send her away if he learns of her love.
Over time, as Diana submits to Ahmed's violent treatment of her, she regains his trust. It is made clear that he is punishing her because she is English, but not why he is doing this. Eventually, Diana is allowed to go riding again but is kidnapped by a rival sheik and taken away. When Ahmed finds this out, he realises his love for her and sets out to get her back. He succeeds but is badly wounded in the process and taken back to his tent. There, one of Ahmed's friends explains to Diana why he hates English people: his father, who was English, had dreadfully mistreated his Spanish mother, and Ahmed had sworn revenge on the entire English nation as a result.
When Ahmed finally recovers, he explains to Diana that he is going to send her away. She is upset, especially when he confesses that he is doing so out of love; he can't bear to mistreat her anymore. Although she pleads with him and avows her love, he stands firm. In despair, Diana reaches for a revolver and attempts to die in the same way as her father. Ahmed wrenches the gun from her, causing the bullet to go astray, and clasps her to him, declaring he will never let her go. The book ends with them passionately declaring their mutual love.
In the sequel, Ahmed and Diana's son who is also named Ahmed loves local dancing girl Yasmin. When he slips out of his father's heavily guarded compound to woo her, he is kidnapped and held for ransom by a group of bandits led by Yasmin's father and Ghabah, the Moor to whom she is betrothed.
Public Domain Literary Appearances[]
- The Sheik (1919)
- The Sons of the Sheik (1925)
Public Domain Film Appearances[]
- The Sheik (1919)
- The Son of the Sheik (1926)
Notes[]
- Because the novel was controversial dealings with racial miscegenation and rape certain aspects of the novel were left out of the film. For example in the novel, Sheik Ahmed rapes Lady Diana where as in the film he does not.