"The West Chamber"

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses and analyzes Wang Shifu's play "The West Chamber"'s. The paper examines the play's historical context, plot, major themes and dramatic form. Focus is also given to the pervading theme of eroticism within the play.

Outline:
Origin of the Ying Ying Story
Historical Context
Plot
The Chinese Theory of Drama
Dramatic Form
Specific Character Analysis: Hung Niang
Eroticism in "The West Chamber"
Confucian Values
Final Words About Chinese Drama and "The West Chamber"

From the Paper:

"The drama tells the tale of Ch'ang, a young scholar, and Ying Ying, the beautiful daughter of a recently deceased prime minister. On his way to the capital for the Imperial Examinations, Ch'ang stops by a Buddhist monastery where he meets Ying Ying. Immediately struck by her beauty, Ch'ang falls deeply in love with the young maiden. When Sun Fe-Hu, a rebel chieftain, surrounds the monastery with his army and demands Ying Ying to be his wife, Ying Ying convinces her mother, Madame Ts'ui to make the following pronouncement: Ying Ying will be married to anyone who can drive away the enemy. Ch'ang seizes the opportunity, and asks his friend, General Tu, to suppress the rebellion. "

Sample of Sources Used:

• Dolby, William. A History of Chinese Drama. New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1976.
• Sieber, Patricia. Theaters of Desire: Authors, Readers, and the Reproduction of Early Chinese Song Drama, 1300-2000. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2003.
• Wells, Henry W. The Classical Drama of the Orient. Bombay: Asia Publishing House, 1965.
• Zung, Cecilia S. L. Secrets of the Chinese Drama. New York: Noble Offset Printers, 1964.

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