In the long history of literature, there have been a great number of works whose main characters are heroes have been created by outstanding authors. Of those many, the oral literature of Korea called “The Abandoned Princess” and the play called “The Tempest” by William Shakespeare are typical and excellent. “The Abandoned Princess” shows the adversity that Princess Bari has gone through while “The Tempest” shows the amazing adventure of Prospero. There are some differences and similarities between these two works. Importantly, both of the stories show that adversity will never destroy the people with courage and faith. A similarity between “The Abandoned Princess” and “The Tempest” is that both of the two heroes are hurt by the relatives …show more content…
Princess Bari is abandoned at birth by her parents because of her sex. Then, the poor princess has to begin her unknown journey to the underworld. Fortunately, Princess Bari has not been overthrown but overcome the difficulties bravely. She is such a tolerant woman that heals her parents even though she is abandoned by them. After successfully completing her mission, Princess Bari is transformed into a goddess and has a happy life(Seo). Actually, many Korean women “who like Bari, have suffered in their own lives their parents’ mistakes and have had to sacrifice their lives for the sake of filial piety” (Doménech). In Asia, filial piety has been considered for centuries the greatest virtue in society because of the prospering of Confucianism. Therefore, in a traditional Korean family filial piety is rigidly observed. As far as I am concerned, correct filial piety is commendable but blind devotion to one's parents is terrible. Therefore, adopting the correct criteria of filial piety is important. In “The Tempest”, Prospero has been betrayed and banished by “his wicked, usurping, …show more content…
As I said above, in “The Abandoned Princess”, Princess Bari is abandoned by her parents because of son preference. In Korea, the misconception that men are superior to women is dominating many people's minds. Ulla points out that “Sons are critical to families in a variety of ways, for continuity of the lineage, for performing ancestor worship rites, and for providing support in old age. Daughters cannot perform these functions in traditional Korean society, and are therefore of far less consequence to families than are sons” (317). In my view, it is absolutely wrong to deny the importance of daughter to the family. Her parents’ decision shows the difference od the social status between men and women at that time. The author creates a woman who does not accept the secular world and is able to transcend the offers from this world. Through Princess Bari, the author wants to express the phenomenon that men and women are not equal and improve the status as well as the lifestyle of women. As for “The Tempest”, it also shows Shakespeare’s thinking. In this play, Prospero gives up his magic in the end and “there is a rebirth, a return to life, a heightened almost symbolic, awareness of the beauty of normal humanity” (Pierce) that deeply shows Shakespeare’s humanitarian ideal. His decision to go back to his country does not show the lust for power but out of a sense of duty. Obviously, he describes an ideal world