Introduction

The text I have chosen is The Shahnameh written by Abolqasem Ferdowsi between the years of 977 and 1010 CE. The direct translation of the title is The Book of Kings in the language of Farsi. It is an alternate version of Alexander the Great’s story but instead a Persian rendition where he is Sekander. It leads the readers through multiple eras of kings and has ties to history, myths, legends, and more. 

The character I am proving to be a monster is the main character of The Shahnameh; Sekander. The Shahnameh shows us Sekander’s whole story and revolves around his quest to conquer Persia. I have chosen him as my monster because of his tactics and how far he will go to accomplish his goals.

The passage I have chosen from The Shahnameh supporting my claims is from the subsect Sekander’s Letter to Foor. This passage is Sekander’s letter to Foor essentially asking him to surrender and will be the basis of my argument proving Sekander is a literary monster. 

My artifact is known as the Khalaf Ibn Ahmad coin. This is tied to my monster because Khalaf Ibn Ahmed was the monarch of Persia at the same time The Shahnameh is said to be set when Sekander is the ruler of Persia.