A Close Reading of the Literary Passage

"The King and his army marched onward for a month and were sorely tired by their journey. They came to a mountain, where they saw no sign of either wild or domestic animals. The mountain’s crest was of lapis lazuli, and a palace stood there, made of topazes. It was filled with crystal chandeliers, and in its midst was a fountain of salt water. Next to this fountain was a throne for two people, on which was stretched a wretched corpse. He had a man’s body, but his head was like that of boar; there was a pillow of camphor beneath his head, and a brocade covering had been drawn up over his body. Instead of a lamp a brilliant red jewel shone there, illuminating the whole area; its rays twinkled like stars in the water, and all the chamber glowed as if in sunlight. Whoever went there to take something, or even set foot within the palace, found himself rooted to the spot; his whole body began to tremble, and he started to waste away."[1] 

    The chosen passage depicts the main character, Sekandar, a victorious king who is strong yet a bit foolish at times, and his army approaching a deserted mountain after a long and tiresome journey[2]. Here they discover a palace made of topazes and Sekandar encounters the main monster. This passage contributes to the monster as a literary artifact through its use of imagery in several instances. For one, the passage describes the monster as this “wretched corpse” with a “man’s body, but his head was like that of a boar.”[3] Using the term “wretched” depicts the monster’s appearance as being in a terrible state, indicating that he may have been viciously killed or suffered a terrible illness. However, the text also states that the monster’s corpse was laying on a throne and that “there was a pillow of camphor beneath his head, and a brocade covering had been drawn up over his body.”[4] This use of imagery depicts the monster as being laid respectfully to rest through some sort of funeral ritual. Interestingly, camphor is a type of evergreen tree and was used in ancient Persia for the funerals of prestigious people where their bodies were embalmed with camphor oils.[5] The monster resting his head on a pillow of camphor may shed light on what kind of character he was; possibly someone of nobility. Also, the fact that his place of rest was on a throne may suggest that this monster was once a royal figure. Furthermore, the text states that a red jewel was used in place of a lamp to light the entire palace.[6] This image of a red light illuminating the palace and dead monster gives a sense of evil to the area, as the colour red may indicate that something bad happened or is going happen. As such, this passage may be used to link the monster to the wider themes of the Shahnameh. Particularly, it may be a way of foreshadowing death in the Shahnameh, mainly that of Sekandar’s. This foreshadowing is also indicated through the line “whoever went there to take something or even simply set foot within the palace, found himself rooted to the spot.”[7] The word “rooted” in this line is a hyperbole as it is an exaggeration; the person is not actually stuck to the ground. However, this line does suggest that anyone who enters the palace, like Sekandar, will share the same fate as the dead monster. The stylistic devices used in this passage also shed light on the theme of being a good king. Without knowing much about the monster, we do see that he was still given proper funeral rites upon his demise, suggesting he was well respected by his people.

___________________________________