Ferdowsi and Shakespeare: A New Historicist Comparative Critique of the Selected Female Characters of the Shahnameh and Shakespearean Plays

Document Type : Original Research

Authors
Maryam Sultan Beyad 1
Behrooz Mahmoodi Bakhtiari 2
Zahra R 3
1 Associate Professor of Collage of Fine Arts; Faculty of Performing Arts and Music; University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
2 Associate Professor, English Language and Literature Department, Faculty of Foreign Languages and Literature; University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
3 Ph.D Candidate of English Literature, Alborz Campus, English Language and Literature Department, University of Tehran, Tehran
Abstract
The agency of literature is one of the keywords of New Historicism. New historicists believe that literature is not simply a product of history; it actively makes history. History, power discourses, marginalized parts of society, and the mutual relationship between literature and culture are central concerns in new historicism. Both Ferdowsi and Shakespeare, although from two diverse cultures and six centuries apart from each other, their works share similar characteristics seen from a historical and literary perspective. Ferdowsi was contemporary with the Sāmānids age of reviving the Persian language and culture after a long period of repression. Shakespeare also lived during the Renaissance age of change in beliefs, views, and worldviews. In addition, challenging the dominant discourses of power and cultural clichés, they created new outlooks towards women in their respective culture. Women who were so far voiceless and marginalized during the times, now get an active presence in their works. The passive, silent Persian woman, kept marginalized for centuries, has an active role and presence in the Shahnameh. Silent and obedient women considered sinful during Shakespeare’s era, have a voice and dynamic presence in his plays. This study tries to depict women’s dynamic personalities both in their contemporary societies and selected literary works. By examining the dominant discourses regarding women, reading their contemporary texts, and analyzing the role of women in their literary works, it is found that both writers in the selected works had different viewpoints towards women compared to the dominant discourses of their time.


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