Ferdowsi's Shahnameh: An Attempt to Save Aryan Tradition through Diminishing the Concept of Filicide

Abstract

Corresponding Author: Mohammad Hussein Oroskhan Department of English Literature, Faculty of Humanities, Vali-e-Asr University, Rafsanjan, Kerman, Iran ABSTRACT Ferdowsi's Shahnameh is filled with different numbers of filicides. Mostly in each of them, the older side is privileged over the younger one. Accordingly, the aim of this paper is to investigate the notion of conflict between these two sides specifically in the tragedy of Rostam and Esfandiar with respect to its reason. As it is evident, Ferdowsi devoted a great deal of effort to revive the Aryan tradition ruined by Arab invasion through writing Shahnameh. Therefore, in most of the old/new conflicts, he favored the older side so as to restore the glory of the past traditions. Moreover, Ferdowsi has tried to show the unjustifiable stand of new side against the reasonable stand of the older side. Indeed Ferdowsi's willingness toward filicides in Shahnameh is actually showing his willingness toward the older tradition of Iran which has been destroyed by Arab invasion.