Philosophical and comparative analysis of power discourse in ancient Greek tragedies and epic stories of Ferdowsi's Shahnameh based on the ideas of Michel Foucault

Noori Parto, Amir Reza; Kupal, Ataollah; Mostafavi, Shamsolmolok

doi:10.22034/rpa.2024.2007159.1050

Philosophical and comparative analysis of power discourse in ancient Greek tragedies and epic stories of Ferdowsi's Shahnameh based on the ideas of Michel Foucault

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Amir Reza Noori Parto ¹

Ataollah Kupal ²

Shamsolmolok Mostafavi ³

¹ PhD student in philosophy of art, ,Philosophy of Art, Department, Law, Theology and Political Science Faculty, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.

² Associate Professor Oof Department of Persian Language and Literature, Karaj Branch, Islamic Azad University, Karaj

³ Associate Professor of Department of Philosophy, North Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

10.22034/rpa.2024.2007159.1050

Abstract

This research aims to explain the commonalities and differences in the world view in classical Greek plays and Ferdowsi's Shahnameh by analyzing the discourse of power. It seems that the results of this comparative study can be generalized as examples to the epistemological world and the dominant discourse in the spirit of the two cultural geographies of classical Greece and Iran. The theoretical approach of the discussion will be derived from the opinions of Michel Foucault and the concept of power discourse in his thought. The method of this research is descriptive-analytical and the necessary information to measure the samples will be obtained in a library manner and through discourse analysis tools. The evidence of this research is indicative of the fact that despite the existence of similar components in the episteme of both intellectual worlds, in both the divine and human realms from the concept of fate and death to love, originality and wisdom, their fundamental point of distinction in explaining the discourse of power is their approach in accepting or opposition to the discourse of the supreme power of God or gods. For example, if in the story of Sohrab, Ferdowsi considers Yazdan's fate as the cause of the final apocalypse, in contrast to Euripides, he creates a Medea who stands in front of the institutionalized dominant discourse and is even ready to behead her children, take the gods with her, and ride gloriously on the chariot of the gods.

Keywords

Foucault

episteme

discourse of power

Iran

Greece

Shahnameh

tragedy

Subjects