Abstract
Purpose and Functions of Dreams in Yusuf u Züleyha Masnavis
Dreams had various purpose and functions in different
fields such as daily life, holy books and literature, starting
from the ancient civilizations. They have been usually seen
as media to reach to the knowledge of the unknown and
hence a certain sacredness has been credited to dreams.
Prophet Joseph’s initiation to the prophecy through a
dream and his being endowed with dream interpretation
ability can be seen as the components that enhance dream’s
sacredness. Dream, as a motif, especially can be observed
as a frequently used element with various purpose and
functions in the narration of Yusuf u Züleyha masnavis.
We have distinguished these purpose and functions as to
give the knowledge of the future and to trigger the
character for a certain action, to give the knowledge of the
present, to make the character fall in love with someone, to
overcome a difficult situation/to give advice to the character,
in the masnavis of Süle Fakih, Şeyyad Hamza, Darîr,
Garîb, Hamdî, Hatâyî, Kemalpaşazade, Taşlıcalı Yahya
and Gubârî that we have gone through for this paper.
Keywords
Yusuf u Züleyha, masnavi, dream, motif.