Class Notes: Shahnameh by Abolqasem Ferdowsi

• Sekandar is Alexandar the Great - Greek king
• Story begins with poor treatment of Sekandar's mother. She had bad breath so the king had someone give her a herb that cured her bad breath but then the king decided he didn't like her so he sent her away. The woman was referred to as a "lovely moon" but no name was provided. 
• Sekandar was a Greek hero but in the story he is made more out to be a Persian hero. 
• Sekandar is named after the herb that cured his mother's malady (bad breath) 
• Assimilation of culture often occurred when one group of people conquered another. 
• Ceasar is mentioned in the text even though the text was produced before the time of ceasar (pg. 968) 
• Dara (Darius) - Sekandar's half brother (same father but different mother who must have had better breath than Sekandar's mother)
• Dara died - stabbed by traitors who supposedly did it for Sekandar but he was not happy about the murder
• Footnote on page 981 - Aristotle tutored Alexander. Alex writes letter to Aristotle in the text. 
• "Greatness too must pass: it is the prey, and its hunter is death." - The theme of fate and death continues on throughout the text. All must pass eventually. 
• Sekandar keeps making the same mistake - he is prideful and boasts. Several leaders tell him of this flaw in the text. (ex: pg. 975 Qaydafeh points out Sekandar's hubris.)
• Qaydafeh was a wise and knowledgeable leader who could have just killed Sekandar but lets him go and tells him to leave her and her army alone 
• Hubris - pride as a fatal flaw 
• New idea for the time compared to Beowulf - Doesn't matter if you die on a bed or with a sword in your hand, you still die. 
• "Absolute power corrupts absolutely." -Churchill 
• Sekandar writes letters to other leaders (not common for that time period) 
• Tribute - Sekandar asks for it from other leaders (ex: give me "this" and provide my army with "this" and I will spare you battle)
• Fate - common theme in text (ex: pg. 975 Qaydafeh tells Sekandar, "Foor wasn't killed because of your glory, and neither were Dara and the heroes of Sind. Their good fortune was at an end, and yours was in the ascendant....")