The Slaves of the Padishah · Chapter
XIX: The Night Before Death explained
On the eve of an execution, Hassan Pasha locks Azrael and Mariska together with a chain, but Azrael reveals a plan to escape.
What happens
On the eve of an execution, Hassan Pasha locks Azrael and Mariska together with a chain, but Azrael reveals a plan to escape. She and Mariska cut their hair to form a rope, and Azrael prophesies that Hassan will die a day after her. The chapter also includes a flashback to a tender moment between Azrael and Feriz Beg, where she tells him to watch for a sign at dawn.
Themes in this chapter
Fate and Death
Azrael's prophecy of her own death and Hassan's, and the looming execution, highlight the inescapable nature of fate.
Love and Sacrifice
Azrael and Mariska sacrifice their hair for freedom, and Azrael's love for Feriz is shown in her final instructions.
Characters to notice
- Azrael
Devises the escape plan, cutting her hair to make a rope, and prophesies her own death and Hassan's.
- Mariska
Prays before her child, then joins Azrael in cutting her hair to aid the escape.
- Hassan Pasha
Anxious and suspicious, he locks the women together and fears the coming execution.
- Feriz Beg
In a flashback, he shares a tender moment with Azrael, kissing her forehead and receiving her cryptic instructions.
Key passages
“Pray not now, thou wilt have time to pray later.”
Don't pray now; you'll have time for that later.
Azrael interrupts Mariska's prayer to focus on the escape plan.
“I have nought to do with doors or guards; we are going to escape through the window.”
I don't care about doors or guards; we'll escape through the window.
Azrael reveals her plan to bypass the guards by using the window.
“Wouldst thou cut off thy hair?”
Are you going to cut off your hair?
Mariska is shocked when Azrael prepares to cut her hair for the rope.