Literary Monster: Close Reading
The dragon in this passage is described as a creature of terror. The text paints it as a monster that should be stayed away from. This also has to do with the point of view of the speaker. In the context of the passage, the villagers and most others are horror-struck by the dragon and will not approach it. This is done purposefully to further prove that only heroes - such as Sekandar - are able to defeat such a monster.
It is described as having a “massive maw [that] breathes fire”, and having 2 pieces of hair that could snare an elephant. These words make the dragon appear horrifyingly huge in the reader’s mind, as well as terrifying and highly intimidating. The passage warns even Sekandar and his men to steer clear of the mountainside, as the dragon’s mere presence is dangerous to any man or animal. Here it is clear that Ferdowsi sets up the monster as something that is undefeatable and invincible. He even goes as far as to say that birds are poisoned just from the air around the dragon, meaning no one can get close enough. This furthers the idea that the monster is made to seem invincible, and the fact that Sekandar slays it, in the end, highlights his strength.
The chosen passage also contains a rhyming aspect. The rhyme scheme is in groups of 2 lines each, where the last sound of each group rhymes. This story-telling design used within the passage quickly alerts the reader of the nature of the passage, making it so the dragon is seen as almost something of a myth, or not real. It emphasizes that the creature is otherworldly and is to be feared as it is not described using the prose Ferdowsi uses for the rest of the story. In a literary context, the rhyming scheme takes the dragon out of context for the readers, making them imagine the description outside of the story for a few lines. This creates a lasting effect in the audience’s mind.
It is also interesting to compare this monster to others that have been studied this term specifically Grendel with Beowulf. Although the dragon in this story from the Shahnameh does not explicitly kill men, there is still fear struck into the hearts of the villagers. This is in contrast to Grendel, who had to commit outrageous and explicit acts to be terribly feared by those in Heorot. This highlights again, the importance of the dragon image and how it relates to fear and is a symbol of invincibility.