Man’s Deal with the Devil in Goethe’s “Faust” and Ferdowsi’s “Zahhak”

Masterplot is a group of plots that are widely repeated among different ethnic groups and cultures. The purpose of this paper is to discover the structure of universal masterplot of “deal with the Devil” in two narratives of “Zahhak” in Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh and Dr. Faust by Goethe. In the present study, we have tried to answer two questions by descriptive-analytical methodFirst, what is the repetitive structure that governs this masterplot; second, what are the similarities and differences between the narratives of Ferdowsi and Goethe in this masterplot in different sections such as the reasons for dealing with the Devil, the motives of the deal, the actions of the heroes, how the Devil appeared to the heroes and their fate. The results show that the structure of this masterplot has a repetitive pattern in this form: Devil’s deal with individuals having superior characteristics, selling one’s soul to the Devil, performing similar kinds of functions after dealing with the Devil, and a complete downfall or return to salvation after suffering the painful consequences of wrongdoing. The differences between these two narratives from a single story include the motives of making a deal, which in Faust is the full enjoyment of material and worldly pleasures, and in Zahhak’s story is power-seeking (domineering). Another difference is in the actions of the heroes after the deal which in Faust involves false testimony and acceptance of stolen property, but in Zahhak it includes murder and illegitimate sex, which are common in both narratives. How the devil appears to these two is also different. In Faust, the devil appears in the form of a dog, a hippopotamus, and a scholar seeker, and in Zahhak, he appears in the form of a well-wishing man, a cook, and a physician. The end of the deal in Faust, after enduring many difficulties, is salvation and in Zahhak leads to his imprisonment at the bottom of a cave. Based on this research, one can speculate the possibility that Goethe was influenced by Ferdowsi.