Analysis of Three Verses in Story of Rustam & Esfandyar

Despite all the different interpretations and analysis written on the story of Rustam and Esfandyar, it still demands re-reading and explanation of some of the ambiguous parts and points. This paper intends to reveal the following points through an analysis of three verses as a sample:  According to some evidences and documents, Gashtasb imprisoned Esfandyar’s son in women’s prison in order to humiliate Esfandyar. And therefore it is most likely that “bad doers” in a line of this verse refers to this story narration. In a verse the name “Kariman” is mentioned; in Iran’s past literary tradition and also in reading the Shah-nameh ( by Ferdowsi), it was a proper name; and also the name of Nariman’s father. It is the plural of “Karim” bearing its denotative meaning. Alluding to the murder of Shah Haamavaran by Rustam in more than one part of this story; which totally contradicts the destiny of this figure in the narration of Haamavaran’s War, appears to be the antithesis of what is said about it in Shah-Nameh. The reason for this issue is related to two reports on this story in the history of the Iranian epics; while traces of both can be still observed in Shah-Nameh.