An Analysis of Gender Performativity in Iraj Mirza’s “Zohreh and Manouchehr” in the Light of Judith Butler’s Theories

Abstract

Abstract The present study investigated the gender roles in Iraj Mirza’s famous poem, “Zohreh and Manouchehr”, which is an adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Venus and Adonis. Judith Butler’s performativity theory was used as a theoretical framework to investigate the gender roles. According to Butler, gender is not something fix and stable and should not be considered as an objective thing. The reality of gender is only comprehensive when it is performed and without any performance it is just a social and cultural norm (Butler, 1990b). In order to analyze the gender roles in Iraj Mirza’s poem, the researchers chose the lines which were pregnant with constructed male and female ideologies. The findings revealed that gender roles between Zohreh and Manouchehr are not determined with their biological traits; male and female roles have been constantly changed leading to sexual ambiguity. In fact, the analysis of the behaviors of these two characters showed that gender is not stable in nature and it is their performance determining their genders, which is in accordance with Butler’s opinion. And also, the characters, particularly Zohreh, were not concerned with the norms of the society; gender and sexuality were not explicit overly.