Post structuralism in Shahnameh Ferdowsi (With emphasis on Bahram's death)

The purpose of this article is to investigate the esthetic aspect of the death of one of the Ferdowsi’s epic characters, in order to reveal only a glimpse of the dynamic potentialities and the scope of interpretation of this grand masterpiece. The historic – mythic structure of the epic texts apparently does not lend itself to interpretation however the texture of stories in Shahnameh is such that renders the text quite interpretable. Ferdowsi’s epic has a paradoxical texture: On one hand there are signs that point realistically to concise, consistent, and systematic features, and on the other hand there are endless interpretations, and it is extremely decontextualized, produces multiple layers of meanings and it is filled with ambiguities. It constantly seeks to remain without an ultimate texture and to remain detached from history, to be non-spatial and hence be eternal. Selection of Bahram’s death and glorified esthetical death of this epic hero is an occasion to illustrate the post structuralist nature of Ferdowsi’s epic despite the fact that the characteristic feature of Shahnameh is inclined towards a consistent structure.