First and foremost, Rustem represents the heroic character in the epic. More specifically, he experiences numerous life struggles, the severest of which is the fight with Esfandiyar. In this case, the most effective approach to analyze the character’s reference to heroicness is to illustrate Rustem’s vision of the life goal. Ferdowsi (37) cites Rustem’s words concerning his place in the Persian future: “Thou knowest, O my father, that my desires are rather after the war than pleasures. Give unto me, therefore, a steed of strength and the mace of Saum, thy father, and suffer that I go out to meet the hosts of Ahriman.” This description emphasizes that going to war is the common though emotionally hard ritual for the King’s son. During those times, the Persian empire was in strong need of a warring emperor who might cope with enemies planning to attack from different sides.
When implementing Rustem’s heroicness in Persian culture, it becomes clear that war has been the source of life for most of the Persian kings and emperors. Thus, the most appropriate and effective way to demonstrate personal affiliation to heroes is to lead the motivated army to new territories and nations’ takeovers.
In the second chosen citation, Ferdowsi (35) illustrates Rustem from a more practical and detailed perspective: “O Pehliva, I rejoice in that I am sprung from thee,” “… My heart is fixed upon valour, a horse do I crave and a saddle, a coat of mail and a helmet, and my delight is in the arrow. Thine enemies will I vanquish, and may my courage be like unto thine.” In this phrase, the analyzed hero openly demonstrates the willingness to follow the brave warrior’s life path without striving to live in the royal atmosphere in the full satisfaction of personal needs.
Work Cited
Ferdowsi, Abolqasem, and Helen Zimmern. Shahnameh: The Epic of Kings. Reprint, Digireads. 2008.