History Main / ScheherezadeGambit

* JamesBond saves himself from laser-based castration by convincing ''Goldfinger'' (in the movie of the same name) that he's more valuable alive as a prisoner.

->You always stop at the same part. When it's very beautiful.

-->You always stop at the same part. When it's very beautiful.

* In RobertHeinlein's ''Time Enough for Love'', Lazarus and Ira embark on what they call a "reverse Scheherazade". Lazarus agrees to not suicide if Ira shows up faithfully every day to listen to him (Lazarus will accept an ''occasional'' suitable substitute if Ira's official duties prohibit him showing up in person).
** With a slight subversion, in that LL has no way to measure the passage of time, so Ira is having him kept unconscious for days at a time, until it's convenient for Ira to show up . . .

* StephenKing's novel ''{{Misery}}'' is about a LoonyFan kidnapping her favorite author and forcing him to write a book just for her. At first, this is simply DanceMonkeyDance, but after a while, when the hero starts delaying and making excuses to put off the end of the book (and of his life), he explicitly compares himself to Scheherezade.

-->You always stop at the same part, when it's very beautiful.

* Inverted and then double-subverted in ''TheFall''. In the film, set in a hospital, Roy tells a story to a girl named Alexandra in order to convince her to steal medication for him that he plans to use to commit suicide. Alexandra later [[spoiler:uses the story to convince him to live.]]

* PlayedForDrama all throughout ''TheFall''. Roy, the storyteller, tells 5-year-old Alexandria that he needs his pills to continue telling his bandit story, and she needs to go steal them for him like a good little bandit. [[spoiler: The pills he wants her to steal are morphine. He plans to kill himself.]]

* ''HowIKilledYourMaster'' - "It is simple, Chan Sen. You can kill me and avenge your master, or you can listen to me and surpass him."

If you can convince them that you're ''more fun alive than dead'', then turn the tables and use your talent as part of a cunning plan to defeat them, you're pulling the ScheherezadeGambit. This might give you an opportunity to escape, or to win them over to your side, or simply buy yourself a few more precious seconds of life.

** [[AuthorAppeal Obviously a story created by a storyteller.]]

** It should be noted that [[spoiler:Snow White was a "guest" of the same sultan from the original Nights, and in fact before she leaves tells Scheherezade that the sultan enjoys stories.]]
* Used [[spoiler:posthumously]] by Cyclops in ''Astonishing {{X-Men}}''. [[spoiler:Knowing that his team's ship is bugged, he uses the telepathic version of SpySpeak to make the BigBad think he has a superweapon when he really doesn't. Then he pulls a HeroicSacrifice to save his team, knowing that the BigBad can resurrect him. The bad guy falls for it, wanting to know about the fake superweapon that could defeat him, and revives Cyclops so he can [[ColdBloodedTorture speak to him in person about it]]. Cue CrowningMomentOfAwesome.]]

* In the film ''TheUsualSuspects'', the police have captured one member of a criminal gang. They interrogate him, and the Suspect tells the story of the gang's exploits, leading up to the Suspect's capture. [[spoiler: After they let him go, one of the police officers realizes that the Suspect they just released was, in fact, the gang's leader, and that he had invented the whole story in order to allay suspicion and to buy enough time for his lawyer to arrange his release.]]
* The film ''ThePrincessBride'', this happens when [[spoiler:Westley is captured by the Dread Pirate Roberts. Westley makes himself so charming and useful that, each day, Roberts says "Good night, Westley. Good work, and I'll likely kill you in the morning." Repeat, until friendship happens.]] He almost certainly was never planning to kill him, though, just [[InvokedTrope invoking the trope]] as a cover.
** ...and inverted again at the end of the film as [[spoiler:Westley, who is unable to fight in his weakened state, convinces the Prince he's going to leave him horribly disfigured as a way of buying time under the guise of amusement via the Prince's torture... when he had no intention of ever hurting him in the first place]].

[[AC:{{Jokes}}]]

* In RobertHeinlein's ''Time Enough for Love'', Lazarus and Ira embark on what they call a "reverse Scheherazade". Lazarus agrees to not suicide so long as Ira shows up faithfully every day to listen to him (Lazarus will accept an ''occasional'' suitable substitute if Ira's official duties prohibit him showing up in person).

* A man was facing the firing squad and said "Can I have one last request? I've always liked singing, so I'd like to sing one last song." The captain decides it's a reasonable request and nods. The condemned man clears his throat and sings "One thousand bottles of beer on the wall, one thousand bottles of beer...."

* Inverted and then double-subverted in ''TheFall''. In the film Roy tells a girl in the hospital he's staying at named Alexandra a story to convince her to steal for him the medication he plans to use to ''kill'' himself. Alexandra later [[spoiler:uses the story to convince him to live.]]

* A ''StarWarsExpandedUniverse'' comic called ''[[http://asylums.insanejournal.com/scans_daily/1042250.html Vader's Quest]]'', the Emperor offers to reward a bounty hunter whose efforts had been impressive. He offers her the chance to join him and get a new, non-derelict body with a better name. She thanks him, but she has all the reward she needs, she likes her name, and she prefers to win with the hand she was dealt with, not a stacked deck.

* ''StarTrek'': In "The Squire of Gothos", Kirk convinces Trelane to spare him because it would be more fun to play TheMostDangerousGame.