mohammad mirnezami; homeira zomorrodi; Abdolreza seif
Abstract
Epic literature has long provided a platform for representing moral and cultural thought. The story of Rostam and Sohrab in Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh and its re-creation in Matthew ...
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Epic literature has long provided a platform for representing moral and cultural thought. The story of Rostam and Sohrab in Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh and its re-creation in Matthew Arnold’s narrative poem Sohrab and Rustum serve as examples of the connection between epic and ethics. This study conducts a comparative analysis of moral virtues and vices in these two works, showing how both poets—despite temporal and cultural distance—shape their narratives according to different moral frameworks. It also explores how a shared narrative can, within distinct cultural contexts, convey divergent ethical messages. The research method is descriptive–analytical, based on both quantitative and qualitative study of the texts. Moral virtues and vices were identified through the intellectual sources of each poet, then tabulated, and their frequency and application examined. Findings reveal that Ferdowsi, by emphasizing courage, family loyalty, dignity, and benevolence, creates a moral world in which good triumphs over evil. In contrast, Arnold focuses on family affection, friendship, and love, while also highlighting vices such as pride, ill temper, and misconduct. The ethical approach of Ferdowsi and Arnold influences the rhetorical and narrative structure of their works. Both writers organize their retelling of the story in line with their moral systems, making ethics central to genre and narrative style
