An Emotive Semiotics Analysis of Discursive Deadlock and Disjunction in the Story of Hasanak the Vizier

Emotions can cause discursive connection and disjunction. The mechanism of the emotive dimension of the tragic story of “Hasank the Vizier” in Beyhaqi’s History leads to discursive failure. Adopting a discourse analytical approach, informed by the phenomenology of senses and emotions, this article demonstrates that the determining and distinguishing emotive deep structure in the story derives from the “social and intersubjective humiliation” experienced by the negative emotive character, Busahl Zuzani. This leads to emotions such as “relief, prejudice and revenge”, and the relieving aspect continues even after revenge has been taken. The intensity of the emotive dimension relating to this negative actant is in line with the presentation of a general statement on rational political action. At the same time, the rationalistic dimension of the tale is based on its rational and complex character, Sultan Masoud Ghaznavi, who produces rationalistic statements in the text but, sharing subjective humiliation, is discursively connected with Busahl, and disconnected from Hasanak. Therefore, despite being the main source of power and having a key role in determining the destiny of the discourse, this rational character is relegated to the second layer of the plot.