Analysis of the Story of Forud in the Shahnameh Based on Freud&#039;s Death Drive Theory

Esmaeelipour, Maryam; Dezfoulian, Kazem

doi:10.22054/ltr.2025.83756.3953

Analysis of the Story of Forud in the Shahnameh Based on Freud's Death Drive Theory

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

¹ Persian Language and Literature / Faculty of Literature and Humanities / Shahid Beheshti University / Tehran / Iran

² Persian Language and Literature Dept., Faculty of Literature and humanities, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran

10.22054/ltr.2025.83756.3953

Abstract

One of Freud's later, noteworthy theories is that of the death and life instincts. According to this theory, Freud perceives the world as a battleground between these two drives, with human actions and reactions resulting from one drive overpowering the other. Furthermore, Freud cautiously suggests an unconscious drive within humans that propels them toward destruction and self-annihilation. He believes that aggression toward others and tendencies toward self-destruction are two manifestations of this unconscious drive. This paper aims to analyze the story of Forud in the Shahnameh through the lens of Freud's concept of the death drive. It argues that this narrative is primarily influenced by this drive, suggesting that the dominant theme in Forud's story embodies Thanatos or the death instinct more than any other motivation. These events—the maids taking their own lives, Froud and his mother's despair, killing horses, Jarireh's suicide, and Forud's final words—all serve as evidence of this idea.

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