Metaphorical Conceptualization of Morality in Shakespeare’s Macbeth and Ferdowsi’s Bahram Chobin

Articles in Press

Document Type : Original Research Article

Authors

1 Assistant Professor of Linguistics Department, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran- Iran

2 MA graduate of linguistics from Shahid Beheshti University

Abstract

The present research delves into metaphorical conceptualization of morality in Ferdowsi's Bahram Chobin story and Shakespeare's tragedy of Macbeth within a cognitive framework. The theory of conceptual metaphor is therefore used as the theoretical framework for this analysis. This research employs a descriptive, literary and analytical approach to analyse and compare the morality related metaphors in these works and their source and target domains with the aim of comparing Ferdowsi’s and Shakespeare’s standpoints about moral values. The mentioned comparison is important because of the difference in nationality, culture, religion, and also the difference in life time of these two writers. Data collection is done bibleothecly. using Shahnameh (Jalal Khaleghi Motlaq 2007) for the epic of Bahram Chobin and the book of Macbeth. In this research, we specifically seek to find out: 1- What are the moral concepts mentioned in the stories of Bahram Chobin and Macbeth, 2- How the metaphorical conceptualization of morality has been done in these works, and 3- What does the comparative study of the mentioned literal works show about the attitudes of these two writers towards ethics. The purpose of comparison of Ferdowsi’s and Shakespeare's attitudes toward moral values is to find out the differences and similarities of their attitudes toward these values and also their lived moral experiences in the form of conceptual metaphors. The analysis of the data has shown that the number and diversity of moral concepts which Shakespeare refers to is more than the number and diversity of the ones to which Ferdowsi adverts: vices and virtues in Ferdowsi’s work are almost equal in number. Number of metaphorical conceptualizations of morality in the tragedy of Macbeth is more than their number in the epic of Bahram Chobin. Also, the diversity of morality related metaphors in the tragedy of Macbeth is more than the story of Bahram Chobin. Shakespeare has referred to moral vices more than Ferdowsi and this finding, in turn, shows the prevalence of moral vices in Shakespeare's bio-society or in his lived experiences.

Keywords

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Available Online from 16 March 2025

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