Vathek

William Beckford wrote Vathek in French in 1782. It was first published under the title Vathek: An Arabian Tale in 1786, having been translated to English by Reverend Samuel Henley under Beckford’s oversight. The story follows the Abbasid Caliph Vathek as he engages increasingly with dark arts and demonic forces, leading eventually to his ruin. It is an example of the early Gothic novel as well as of 18th-century European Orientalism.

This study guide uses the 1983 World’s Classics edition of Vathek. The text in this edition comes from the 1816 edition, translated by Samuel Henley and edited by William Beckford. Beckford made many changes to his original French text prior to its publication in English; he also changed and corrected many of Samuel Henley’s translations when he published his own edition. This study guide preserves the spelling of words as they are in the text, including nonstandard spellings of historical figures and places (e.g., “Mahomet”).

Content Warning: This study guide contains discussion of inappropriate relationships between teenagers and adults. The source material depicts child abuse and child murder. It also uses outdated terms for racial and religious groups of the Arabian Peninsula and India and contains misogynistic discussion of women. Further, the plot of the source material is based on stereotypical and offensive depictions of these same groups.

Plot Summary

Vathek begins with the eponymous character, a caliph ruling from Samarah (i.e., Samarra), detailing his love of pleasure and desire for knowledge. Developing an interest in astrology, Vathek becomes convinced that a foreigner will appear at court and bring him otherworldly riches and wonders. Though these inclinations do not initially interfere with his rule, when a figure first referred to as the Stranger shows up offering the same wonders Vathek divined the existence of, Vathek becomes obsessed.

Vathek imprisons the Stranger when the latter refuses to divulge his secrets, but the Stranger soon vanishes. The grief of failing to learn the origins of the wonders impacts Vathek’s physical and mental health. At last, the Stranger returns and reveals that he is from India, offering Vathek a cure for his illness from his home country. It works, and in his joy Vathek invites the man, also referred to as “the Indian,” to feast with him.

At the feast, Vathek is disgusted by how much the Stranger eats and how he has taken over the conversation. Urged by his advisors, Vathek accuses the Stranger of poisoning rather than curing him, and the tension culminates in Vathek beating him. The entire court feels compelled to join in, and they kick the Stranger repeatedly until they send him into a gorge near the palace.

Vathek is once again devastated at the loss of the Stranger. He keeps vigil by the gorge until the Stranger once again appears, this time in a black portal. He offers Vathek entry through the portal, behind which is the subterranean palace from which came the wonders he sold Vathek. In exchange, Vathek must renounce his faith and sacrifice 50 of the most beautiful children in his kingdom to the Stranger. Vathek agrees and sets up a contest among his advisors to find their most beautiful sons.

Having picked the 50 most beautiful sons, Vathek throws them a party by the gorge. Under the ruse of a game, Vathek murders the boys by throwing them into the gorge. His people revolt against him, chasing him to the tower where his mother, Carathis, keeps her dark magical artifacts. Carathis soothes the people and then conducts a ritual to restore the Stranger’s favor; she sets a pyre of magical items on fire and sacrifices some of the people of Samarah.

The Stranger’s favor restored, he charges Vathek with traveling to Istakar (i.e., Istakhr) to enter the portal. He is not to accept hospitality from holy men on his way there. Despite this edict, after Vathek and his wives and servants are caught in a storm and attacked by wild animals, they accept the hospitality of the Emir (a prince or lord) Fakreddin, who resides in the mountains. Vathek’s lack of faith concerns the emir, who is very devout.

Upon seeing Fakreddin’s daughter Nouronihar, Vathek falls in love. Nouronihar is already promised to her cousin Gulchenrouz, whom she loves and shares many similarities with. Upon seeing a light, however, Nouronihar cannot help but investigate. She too witnesses the wonders of the subterranean palace and is tempted by them and, subsequently, by Vathek. Seeing Vathek’s interest in his daughter, Fakreddin fakes her and Gulchenrouz’s deaths and sends them to live by a mountain lake, making them believe they are in a purgatorial afterlife.

Vathek is devastated and takes to crying at Nouronihar’s supposed grave. On a walk one day, Nouronihar comes across Vathek, and they both realize the ruse. Nouronihar leaves with Vathek, and they continue to Istakar. Carathis, having heard from one of Vathek’s wives that he sought hospitality from a holy man, finds Vathek and chastises him. The fact that Vathek broke the rules of hospitality placates her, but Carathis is further concerned that Vathek’s brother is trying to stage a coup. Vathek doesn’t care.

A Genii (i.e., jinni), an agent of the prophet Mahomet (i.e., Muhammad), attempts to save Vathek and Nouronihar by getting them to repent. This almost works, but the temptation of the infernal palace proves too much. The Genii then rushes to save Gulchenrouz from Carathis, who was going to sacrifice him. Gulchenrouz is taken to the heaven-like place where the 50 boys Vathek attempted to sacrifice are.

Vathek and Nouronihar reach Istakar and descend to the infernal palace at last. Upon their arrival, they see shades wandering about wailing with their hand on their hearts. The ruler of the subterranean palace, Eblis (i.e., Iblis, the devil in Islam), and King Soliman (i.e. Solomon) reveal the truth: Vathek’s and Nouronihar’s actions have damned them. They soon will turn into the same shades they saw.

Vathek summons Carathis so she can suffer with them, and he and Nouronihar wait for their doom with a group of other damned rulers. Carathis, upon learning the truth, refuses to repent. Like Vathek and Nouronihar, she ends up a tormented shade for all eternity. The narrator warns that their excessive curiosity and greed led them to their fate, which contrasts with the blissful paradise of eternal childhood Gulchenrouz resides in.