Magic in Folklore and Mythology

The Protagonist in Aladdin and the Magic Lamp

The magician is the right response.

What is Magic?

Magic, which is also spelled magick, is an ancient practice having roots in sacred rites, spiritual foretelling, and/or cultural tradition. Its purpose is to call upon, control, or otherwise materialize supernatural forces, beings, or phenomena in the physical, material world. It is a categorical but usually vague phrase that has been applied to a broad range of beliefs and activities that are frequently seen as distinct from both religion and science.

Magic still plays a significant religious and therapeutic function in many cultures today, despite the fact that its implications have fluctuated throughout history from good to negative. Magic has been associated in Western society with concepts of the Other, alienation, and primitivism, making it "a potent marker of cultural difference."

Complete Question

Read the excerpt from "Aladdin and the Magic Lamp."

But far away in Africa the magician remembered Aladdin, and by his magic arts discovered that Aladdin, instead of perishing miserably in the cave, had escaped, and had married a princess, with whom he was living in great honour and wealth. He knew that the poor tailor's son could only have accomplished this by means of the lamp, and travelled night and day till he reached the capital of China, bent on Aladdin's ruin. . . . He was determined to get hold of the lamp, and again plunge Aladdin into the deepest poverty.

The Antagonist in Aladdin and the Magic Lamp

The magician is the antagonist in the story.

Questions:

1. Who is the protagonist?

2. What is magic?

3. Who is the antagonist in Aladdin and the Magic Lamp?

Answers:

1. The protagonist is Aladdin.

2. Magic is an ancient practice that calls upon supernatural forces with spiritual roots.

3. The antagonist in Aladdin and the Magic Lamp is the magician.