Nonverbal communication in the story ‘Rostam and Sohrab’ by Ferdowsi

Every act of communication is connected to encryption, which refers to any regular and integrated sequence of symbols, words, and letters optionally used to convey concepts. There are two categories of codes, verbal codes and non-verbal codes. Non-verbal codes include codes that relate to physical movements, use of time and space, clothing, makeup, and sounds that are not related to language. In this article, an attempt has been made to examine the story of Rostam and Sohrab by Ferdowsi in terms of non-verbal codes of communication. This is done from an interdisciplinary point of view. As it is found, Ferdowsi has used a wide range of non-verbal codes in this story which give it dynamicity, mobility and truthfulness. The story is also endowed with great effects on the audience, leading to its persuasion. The most frequent and prominent messages taken from non-verbal cues are sadness, anger and battle, which are in perfect harmony with the tragic-epical nature of the story. In this paper, the non-verbal instances of communication in the Rostam and Sohrab story are identified and examined by a descriptive-analytical method. The corresponding diagrams and frequencies are also presented.