This analysis explores gender performativity in Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queene (1590-1596) and Abolqasem Ferdowsi's Shahnameh (c. 1010), two major epic poems distinguished by temporal, cultural, and geographical differences, yet interconnected through their intricate representations of gender. This paper conducts a comparative feminist analysis utilizing Judith Butler's theory of gender performativity to examine how these epics establish, enforce, and occasionally disrupt gender norms within their cultural contexts. Analysis demonstrates both texts operate within patriarchal systems but have significant examples of gender fluidity and rebellion against standard interpretations. A comparison of Western and Persian literary traditions is made to explain the mechanics of performances of gender in both works through deliberate cross-dressing, martial power as a form of gender transgression, as well as the provisional support of feminine sovereignty. The findings illustrate that both works, despite their ostensible differences, utilize analogous confinement tactics to address gender subversion while unintentionally revealing the manufactured essence of gender. This cross-cultural feminist perspective challenges Western feminist frameworks and offers fresh insights into the performative aspects of gender within various literary and cultural contexts.