Analysis of characterization in the tale of Rostam and EsfandyarBased on Heidegger’s Authentic life theory

One of the most important reasons for the impact of the tale of Rostam and Esfandyar is the way these two main characters confront each other.  Despite most battles represented in Shahnameh, Rostam and Esfandyar before confrontation had always been on one side.  Therefore it seems that we are neither faced with good and evil in its literal sense nor with a sort of misunderstanding that happened in the tale of Rostam and Sohrab. Hence the characteristics that put these two characters opposite one another gain significant importance to such extent that the analysis of their fundamental differences is one way to discover the enormous impact of this tale.  To reach this purpose it is essential to find a suitable criterion in order to classify the characteristic features of each protagonist.  Attempt is made in this article to study the principal differences of the protagonists according to theories of “Authentic life” and “inauthentic life” put forward by Martin Heidegger paying attention to the role of the differences in the course of the tale that gradually brings about its tragic end.  The results obtained show that looking at the tale from Heidegger’s perspective not only can help us to better understand the root of their discords but also it can justify certain conflicting behaviors of Esfandyar.