مرضیه جمیلی

Ferdowsi's Shahnameh is structurally divided into two main parts: mythological and epic, each of which has distinct narrative and conceptual features, but in both, the presence of human suffering and grief plays a fundamental role.

The mythological part of the Shahnameh narrates the story of the creation of the world by the first kings and the battle of superhuman forces, which deals with the fundamental issues of existence and destiny in a mysterious and symbolic atmosphere. The heroic part of the Shahnameh is shaped around the lives and actions of human heroes such as Rostam and Sohrab, and by focusing on their battles, virtues, and individual and social tragedies, it gives the narrative a more realistic and humane appearance.

Emotions in the Shahnameh are diverse and profound, from passion and bravery to the sorrow of love and longing, reflecting human experiences and the heroes' reactions to fate. In this study, we exclusively focused on suffering and the factors that cause suffering, seeking to achieve a comprehensive and unobstructed interpretation of this emotion by relying on the analysis of verses related to it in Ferdowsi's Shahnameh, with the efforts of Saeed Hamidian and Mehri Behfar.

Finally, we found different types of suffering in the mythological and epic parts and divided them into smaller sub-categories, and we came to the conclusion that in the mythological part, suffering is primarily existential, collective, and fateful in nature. Its manifestation is in narratives of suffering resulting from fate, regret, annihilation, and anxieties related to collective and cosmic destiny. However, in the epic part, as the narrative moves into the realm of objective and individual life, the manifestation of suffering becomes more realistic and tangible. The tragedies of war and defeat, loss and death of loved ones, betrayal, physical and psychological injuries, and moral and social concerns take center stage.

Without falling into one-sidedness, Ferdowsi depicts a full spectrum of human suffering in both parts, from fundamental and metaphysical experiences to the tangible biological pains of mourning for loved ones, oppression, discrimination, And his injustice narrates fear, anxiety, despair, and even philosophical and theological suffering with precision and clarity. Through this diversity, the Shahnameh is not only a comprehensive mirror of the pain and suffering of the Iranian people in the transition from myth to epic, but also provides a comprehensive map of the types of human suffering in the heart of history, culture, and the collective psyche.

Keywords : Suffering , Epic , Myth , Shahnameh , Ferdowsi