Tina Takapoui

Shahnam, The Bondsman Par Excellence! The Dialectic of the Master and Bondsman works as a static dynamic for Shahnam and whoever desires to become his new master. Shahnam is loyal to no one and nothing but his own status as a slave. He suspects loyalty as such, because, as a sociopath, he knows no such thing as existent. At best, he appears as Nima’s confidant and best adviser and he suspects everyone, Tina, Behrouz, and Razieh. He seems concerned about Nima’s apparent good-hearted trust not because of his good will towards the friend and master, but because he does not have the faculty of trust developed in himself . Shahnam is a sociopath; he runs the filthy errands of the masters—no matter who occupies the position—with no questions asked. He can oppress, bully, beat, and kill. Throughout the series he seems the best candidate to air for the master their dirty laundry, fooling the master as if he were doing that to their benefit. But, Shahnam is never involved in the Master/Bondsman 'dialectic;' the mirror of the master only reflects his reflection as the bondsman who aspires to no change in status. He is a congenital slave, never desiring to exchange position with anyone who directs his psychopathic soul. He can be inclined to any master who bids the highest level of cruelty. His vile is not toward any material gain; he’s not after money, position, or gain; he remains content so long as he is the slave par excellence, and do anyone’s dirty business. From the beginning to the end of the series, his face remains devoid of human emotions; his words are minimal and to the point, only acknowledging what he’s been dictated to do, and reassuring the master that the dictate has been crossed alright. He is an absolutely static and flat character, a slave designated to remain as such. And yet, his person is an enigma, reflecting the viciousness of the system he enjoys being a part of. He exists as the epitome of malice, and so long as he remains functioning, the system can go on. For Shahnam, concepts as achievement, goal, and class are meaningless; unlike Bahri, Haj Hassan, and Nima, he's no after anything different from what he is and how he's defined to function in society. Shahnam is a cog, a necessary cog in a sick machine and assures the functioning of the said machine. And yet, he is a free slave; his life depends not on who the master is; it relies on the presences of Master as such, and his existence guarantees the survival of the Masterhood! The tragedy of Aghazadeh’s ending is not so much the death of Nima or Razieh, or Tina on the run, as the persistence of Shahnam as a silent, watchful, psychopathic cog that remains to function for whatever dictate that is sold to the highest bid!