Sohrab and Rustum: Analysis of Setting
"Sohrab and Rustum: Analysis of Setting" explores the significant role of setting in the narrative of a tragic epic poem that unfolds in Central Asia. The poem centers on the poignant conflict between Sohrab and his father Rustum, illustrating the themes of fate and inevitability through their battle against the backdrop of the Oxus River. This setting serves not only as a physical location for the confrontation but also as a metaphor for the larger human experience, emphasizing the continuous flow of life and the inevitability of death. By situating the story among the ancient customs and landscapes of Central Asia, the poem achieves a sense of emotional distance, allowing readers to reflect on the gravity of the events without becoming overwhelmed by sentimentality. The Oxus River is particularly symbolic; its origins and relentless flow mirror the tumult of human existence, culminating in the serene yet final Aral Sea. In this way, the setting enhances the poem's epic quality, transforming personal tragedy into a broader commentary on destiny and existence. Overall, the analysis highlights how the geographical and cultural elements enrich the narrative, inviting deeper contemplation of the themes presented.
Sohrab and Rustum: Analysis of Setting
First published: 1853
Type of work: Poetry
Type of plot: Historical
Time of work: Antiquity
Asterisk denotes entries on real places.
Places Discussed
Central Asia
Central Asia. Scene of the battle between the forces of Persia and their Tartar enemies. Arnold wrote this poem in part to illustrate his theories concerning the superiority of the classical, objective, and affirmative epic over the Romantic, lyric, and melancholy poetry of his own time. By placing his poem in Central Asia, among Persians and Tartars, he achieves an emotional distance and objectivity that removes the poem from the Romantic intensity and lyrical sadness of the typical poetry of his age. Set in a distant and ancient place, the tragic tale of a warrior father who unwittingly kills his warrior son can be treated not as an occasion for sentimental tears but as an illustration of fate and its inevitability. Moreover, Arnold uses the places, landscapes, and customs of Central Asia as materials for the complex epic similes that are crucial to the poem’s epic style.
*Oxus River
*Oxus River. River upon whose plain Sohrab and Rustum fight. When Rustum slays Sohrab on the banks of the Oxus, Arnold ends with an elaborate and symbolic account of the Oxus, describing its origins, its troubled but continuous flow, and its final absorption into the tranquil Aral Sea. In this way, Arnold allows the setting of the action to comment on that action. Rustum’s killing of Sohrab is only one event in human destiny, which itself flows like a river. Human life persists, and every human life ends in the quiet Aral Sea of death.
Bibliography
Abjadian, Amrollah. “Arnold and the Epic Simile.” Étude anglaises 42, no. 4 (October-December, 1989): 411-423. A rhetorical study of Arnold’s use of epic similies in “Sohrab and Rustum.”
Cervo, Nathan. “‘Dover Beach,’ ‘Sohrab and Rustum,’ ‘Philomela,’ and ‘Stanzas from the Grande Chartreuse.’ ” The Arnoldian 11, no. 1 (Winter, 1884): 24-31. Cervo discusses Arnold’s use of sea and stone imagery as they are related to the Oedipus complex.
Gouws, John. “Matthew Arnold’s ‘Sohrab and Rustum.’ ” Notes and Queries 30 (August, 1983): 302. This note establishes Goethe as another author whom Matthew Arnold deeply admired. The way Arnold uses his sources demonstrates his practice of measuring his own poetry against “touchstones” from the great literature of the past.
Roper, Alan. Arnold’s Poetic Landscapes. Baltimore, Md.: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1969. Examines the degree to which Arnold achieves unity between human significance and literal landscape. In discussing “Sohrab and Rustum,” Roper focuses on the tragically fateful dichotomy in Rustum between the individual fulfillment of finding a son of who he can be proud and his public obligation to be a great warrior.
Thorpe, Michael. Matthew Arnold. New York: Arco, 1969. Contains a comprehensive treatment of the poem and of the manuscript. Also analyzes specific images and includes a comparison of “Sohrab and Rustum” with Arnold’s other poems.