Abstract
Many eccentric folktales about Kim Yu-Sin, a great commander of Silla, are found in Samguksagi and Samgukyusa. This thesis aims to study how to reinterpret and recontextualize the folktales related to Kim Yu-Sin as focusing on two plays adapted from it: Hong Won Ki's Heavenly Horse Painting and Chang Sung-Hee's Dream within Dream. Their stage were also acclaimed as distinguished performance.
In Heavenly Horse Painting, Kim Yu-Sin feels attractive to Heavenly Woman because they both are refugee of Gaya, the collapsed nation. However Kim's mother, who has married a royal family of Gaya as a Jingol caste of Silla, tries to eliminate all the Gayan hovering around him in order to achieve his political power. He does a sort of symbolic action to show that he follows her wish: wringing his horse's neck since it runs to visit Heavenly Woman's house by habit.
Hong Won-Ki regards that Kim Yu-Sin's desire ultimately goes to the throne. He actually wishes to be a King of Gaya as the reconstructed country, but he is willing to choose the position of a Kingmaker whom contributes his younger sister's husband to become a King. In doing so, he achieves his mother's wish as a hero of Silla and has such a strong political authority for his lifetime.
As being based on Bohee's dream, which is narrated in Giyi chapter of Samgukyusa, Dream within Dream exquisitely intervenes the mingled dreams of main characters. Their dreams are easily replaced to the desire toward the power, from Munhee who buys Bohee's dream to the others. All characters Yu-Sin, Choon-choo, Bohee and Munhee -last two are Yu-Sin's sisters- crave for the power. Along the way, they end up scratching their pure dreams because of the social caste. Kim Yu-Sin is born to be limited as the refugee of Gaya, and his sisters are for the same as well. Kim Choon-choo is also born to be limited to become a king due to his Jingol status. So they have been in collusion when the occasion arose and the needs meet. As of the old, they lament their misfortune saying that they lost their real pure dream by following the false dream.
It is seen that both plays reveal the Oedipus' complex of Kim Yu-Sin. He is a kind of deputy of his mother to achieve her desire: acquiring the political power again as a married woman of the Gayan. Comparing to Kim Yu-Sin described as being controlled by his mother, his sisters are very independent characters. Although Munhee obeys a command of the brother Yu-Sin, she eagers to rush into the queen as she even buys the dream from older sister Bohee in Dream within Dream. Bohee also chooses the autonomous life, too. Instead of becoming concubine of Choon-choo, she sets herself up as an instructor of her nephew Bup-Min in order to raise as a good king. Moreover, she is willing to become a spy to Tang dynasty for the country's sake. Also in Heavenly Horse Painting, Heavenly Woman takes shaman Asil's body after her death and dominates Kim Yu-Sin by delivering the dream of Gaya for his lifetime.
Not only both plays are based on the historical facts from Samguksagi and Samgukyusa, but also they show off very creative imagination. In the context that they adapt similar historical background and share same characters, both look so alike, yet so different. They are the good examples to show the theatrical possibility to adapt the folktale: even though it is based on the same story, creative narratives stem from playwright's full of imagination.
In Heavenly Horse Painting, Kim Yu-Sin feels attractive to Heavenly Woman because they both are refugee of Gaya, the collapsed nation. However Kim's mother, who has married a royal family of Gaya as a Jingol caste of Silla, tries to eliminate all the Gayan hovering around him in order to achieve his political power. He does a sort of symbolic action to show that he follows her wish: wringing his horse's neck since it runs to visit Heavenly Woman's house by habit.
Hong Won-Ki regards that Kim Yu-Sin's desire ultimately goes to the throne. He actually wishes to be a King of Gaya as the reconstructed country, but he is willing to choose the position of a Kingmaker whom contributes his younger sister's husband to become a King. In doing so, he achieves his mother's wish as a hero of Silla and has such a strong political authority for his lifetime.
As being based on Bohee's dream, which is narrated in Giyi chapter of Samgukyusa, Dream within Dream exquisitely intervenes the mingled dreams of main characters. Their dreams are easily replaced to the desire toward the power, from Munhee who buys Bohee's dream to the others. All characters Yu-Sin, Choon-choo, Bohee and Munhee -last two are Yu-Sin's sisters- crave for the power. Along the way, they end up scratching their pure dreams because of the social caste. Kim Yu-Sin is born to be limited as the refugee of Gaya, and his sisters are for the same as well. Kim Choon-choo is also born to be limited to become a king due to his Jingol status. So they have been in collusion when the occasion arose and the needs meet. As of the old, they lament their misfortune saying that they lost their real pure dream by following the false dream.
It is seen that both plays reveal the Oedipus' complex of Kim Yu-Sin. He is a kind of deputy of his mother to achieve her desire: acquiring the political power again as a married woman of the Gayan. Comparing to Kim Yu-Sin described as being controlled by his mother, his sisters are very independent characters. Although Munhee obeys a command of the brother Yu-Sin, she eagers to rush into the queen as she even buys the dream from older sister Bohee in Dream within Dream. Bohee also chooses the autonomous life, too. Instead of becoming concubine of Choon-choo, she sets herself up as an instructor of her nephew Bup-Min in order to raise as a good king. Moreover, she is willing to become a spy to Tang dynasty for the country's sake. Also in Heavenly Horse Painting, Heavenly Woman takes shaman Asil's body after her death and dominates Kim Yu-Sin by delivering the dream of Gaya for his lifetime.
Not only both plays are based on the historical facts from Samguksagi and Samgukyusa, but also they show off very creative imagination. In the context that they adapt similar historical background and share same characters, both look so alike, yet so different. They are the good examples to show the theatrical possibility to adapt the folktale: even though it is based on the same story, creative narratives stem from playwright's full of imagination.
| Translated title of the contribution | A Study on the Dramatic Variation of Folktales as Focused on Heavenly Horse Painting and Dream within Dream |
|---|---|
| Original language | Korean |
| Pages (from-to) | 5-32 |
| Number of pages | 28 |
| Journal | 한국연극학 |
| Volume | 1 |
| Issue number | 71 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Aug 2019 |