Types of Characterization in Shahnameh Ferdowsi

Character and plot are the most important elements of fiction. The fundamental corner stone of every literary work both in old and new fiction is character. In other words in a fiction without a character there would be no actions. In stories characters are dealt with in two ways direct or indirect. Shahnameh can be regarded as a fictional work teemed with characters and its uniqueness owes itself largely to the fact that Ferdowsi paid his utmost attention to create characters. Through characterization, the characteristics, temperaments, ideologies and other features of a character is revealed to the reader. This research therefore is an attempt to analyze Ferdowsi’s point of view towards characters and study types of characterization employed by him.