Yuan Drama Characters Study

Yuan Drama is the mature and perfect form of drama in Chinese history which leads the Chinese literature and aesthetic orientation to change from elegance to custom. In recent years, in the study of the character images in Yuan Drama, multicultural background has attracted more and more attention of researchers. This study focused on the macro grasp of the characters in the drama in order to discover the character images associated with national culture blends and analysis of them and to explore the relevance and significance of them.The first chapter is the historical background of the creation of Yuan Drama which is the introduction of social situation of national cultural blends. It relates to social, political and economic background as well as ideological and cultural background. The social, political and economic background includes three aspects:the first aspect is the broad territory, large population, ethnic coexistence, all providing fresh material for the drama creation; the second aspect is that the rise of city economy provides material basis for drama acceptance; the prevalence of hedonism becomes the ideological preparation for the popularity of drama. The rise of the citizen stratum provides a mass foundation for the prosperity of drama; the third aspect is the status of intellectuals in Yuan Dynasty. Although the Yuan Dynasty imperial examination intermittently hindered the rank and name path of intellectuals, it made them get rid of the political constraints and engage in more pure literature creation. Meanwhile, the Yuan Dynasty had many preferential policies for the intellectuals. The ideological and cultural environment was also relatively loose, and become favorable factors of the development of the yuan drama creation. Ideological and cultural background includes three aspects:The first is the coexistence of Confucianism and the ethnic thought. Confucianism emphasizes hierarchy. The northern nomads did not form a strict legal system or strict hierarchy. Confucianism emphasizes the political education function of music and dances. Nomadic people pay more attention to the entertainment function. Confucianism emphasizes moderation beauty; nomads are straightforward and like straightforward expression. The characteristics of Confucianism and drama are quite different and hard to coexist. Nomadic culture and drama fit everywhere and must develop together. Second is the influence of religion on the drama creation. The Yuan Dynasty adopted a policy of religious tolerance; Taoism and Buddhism were especially popular which directly affected the creation of drama. The third is the influence of minority language, music and dance on drama creation.The second chapter is the female image in the drama, involved in the breakthrough of traditional female images and the shaping of new female images in Yuan Dynasty. The traditional lady images broke through the bondage of the feudal ethics which was much more bold and vigorous than the similar images in the past. They were "the leading lady" in the play. They can occupy the dominant position in love and decide their own fate which embodies the influence of minority culture on the traditional female image in Yuan Dynasty. One of the new female images was prostitutes in Yuan Dynasty. Before giving up the prostitution, they mostly showed positive images such as beautiful, strong, smart, courageous and knowledgeable; after they quitted the prostitution, they became either greedy and marvelous or helpless and weak, which was the drama writers’ reflection on social phenomenon paying attention to women and despised moral, but also reflected the bold rebellion against the traditional ethics and challenged the male role in marriage. Another kind of new female image of the Yuan Dynasty was the "understanding wife and loving mother" and the women of humble position,"The understanding wife and loving mother" image followed the feudal ethical norms but mostly prosecuted by the evil forces, which once again confirmed the deception of feudal ethics, embodies female’s rebellion in Yuan Dynasty against the tradition and influenced by ethnic minority culture. The men of humble position did not accept fate because of their origins, but rise to fight, help themselves and help others to strive for greater freedom.The third chapter is about scholar image and businessmen image in the drama. The scholar image in drama is divided into two types:those in "talented scholars and lovely ladies" play and scholar images in other dramas. The scholar images in "talented scholars and lovely ladies" play is represented by Zhang Sheng, who attaches great importance to the feelings but looks down on feudal ethics and fame. In respect to love, he pays attention to appearance, feeling and desire instead of chastity. The meaning of modern sex reflects the influence of ethnic aesthetic view and views of marriage on the drama creation. In scholar-prostitute love play, scholars are always the object of protection which reflects their hesitation and confusion of self-value after they lost the psychological superiority. And in the face of the patriarchal violence, the scholars, like Zheng Yuanhe, has the courage to revolt appeared, which reflects the awakening of individual consciousness under the influence of nomadic culture. Otherwise, there are scholars in drama that are well-educated and trained in military exercises. This kind of image is influenced by the minority nationality’s custom of emphasizing military forces. Criticism of the heartbreaker in the drama reveals the request of equality between men and women in love, which is a sign of social progress. Businessman image is relatively rare in the literary works before Yuan Dynasty, bu t gradually it becomes common in drama. There are many positive images of businessman: Confucian businessman who has both talent and morality, righteous businessman who is obliging and helpful, those businessmen who completely endured hardship and internal strife afoot in business, and the refreshing images of businesswomen. Absolutely, there are also negative images of businessman: those vulgar businessmen and mean businessmen who destroy scholar-prostitute relationship. The drama writer’s inspiration was given by the development of business in Yuan Dynasty and was influenced by ethnic minorities’attention to business.The fourth chapter is the image of monks and officials in drama. The most notable image is Baozheng, who is humorous, witty, and worldly, and is a civilian, secular official image. There are many images of corrupt officials depicted in drama. Works even appeared to denounce the government, which indicates that cultural policy is relatively easier and articles are loosely organized. Religious image in drama is mainly related to Buddhism and Taoism. Whether religious idols or its adherents, most of them could scarcely keep in the face of earthly feasting and revelry, which is associated with the prevalence of hedonism and the fact that religious taboos are not strict. Meanwhile, it is also the result of a more mature understanding of human nature and the embodiment of writer’s independent spirit. Minority characters in drama, whether in love and marriage or its officers, government officials, keep the characteristics and living habits of ethnic minorities and show the influence of the Han nationality’s cultural tradition and the social reality of cultural integration of the national culture blends.