A study of the Types and Methods of Satire in Hafez

Hafez’s satire is social and political, yet it is artistic, subtle, and flexible in interpretation. However, in most cases, it is innocent, noble, deep and elegant, rooted in a logical feeling and understanding, reflected in a regretful smile. Hafez employs two general patterns in the structure of his satire: one, the frank social satire, directly criticizing a specific class or group; second, the mediated social satire in which he recklessly introduces himself to be representing a class, complaining about himself, thus reflecting what others are suffering from.Hafez has employed whatever possible method to fight satirically against injustice, corruption, and hypocrisy. Among his major ways of satire, irony, and witticism are: violating the signs and values of the sanctity of the ascetics and Sufis; changing the objects and the words by adoption and accountability; employing literary figures such as ambiguity, euphemism, simile, and antithesis; irony, kenning, and sometimes epigrams for the beloved in the form of questions and answers and repartee; satire in the form of an advice; panegyric writing and responsibility seeking; employing public culture and colloquialism. On the whole, Hafez’s satire is sometimes deep and sarcastic and sometimes superficial and tender which are going to be analyzed and illustrated in this paper.