Analysis of Dream in Firdawsi's Shahname

Dream has preoccupied human’s mind since it is attached to him and is part of his spiritual and intellectual life. This subject has a significant position in Shahname. Dreams have significance for advancement of Shahname`s stories and Firdawsi`s lofty educational‚ religious and moral goals. This article classifies the dreams from the viewpoint of content and structure and pays attention to their role in the formation of stories. First, dreams are divided to direct and indirect on the basis of their suggestion to characters and then they are analyzed structurally with regard to source, appearance and result. With regard to source dreams are divided into Irani and Anirani. On the basis of appearance they are divided into explicit, symbolic and quasi-symbolic and with regard to result they are divided into psychological and behavioral effects.