Women in the Shahnameh: A look at Representation of Women in the Shahnameh and how it Connects to Iranian Identity and the Fight for Female Autonomy in Iran

This capstone is a personal exploration of my identity as an Iranian woman through the use of the Shahnameh, the national epic of Iran. My capstone is a combination of summaries of female characters from the Shahnameh and reflections on these stories from me and some close female relatives. When reflecting, I focused on: patterns between each of these stories; parallels between these stories and the current fight for female autonomy in Iran; how these stories connect to my own identity as an Iranian woman; and how women are represented in a story so integral to Iranian identity. The stories discussed in this project are those of Gordafarid, Qaydafeh, Sindokht, and Homay.