Post by Knov1 on Oct 31, 2003 7:37:18 GMT -5
When I first heard the name Yi Ui Bang, the first thing I thought about was Yi Bang Won (King Taejong, 3rd king of Chosun). The KBS historical drama 'Tears of The Dragon' dealt mostly with him and the early years of Chosun. Then later in 'The Age of Warriors' we find out that Yi Song Gye (Yi Bang Won's father and founder of Chosun) is a descendant of Yi Ui Bang's brother Lin. There probably were references to Yi Ui Bang in 'Tears of the Dragon' but that drama was given about 6 years ago so I don’t remember much about it anymore. Anyways, with that said, it helps to understand the animosity between the Yi clan and the imperial house of Koryo (at least in later years).
One of the things about the Yi clan is that even though Yi Ui Bang and his brothers end up being labeled treasonous criminals, they still come back into power many years later and overthrow the government. Although no one is really ever portrayed as a straight up bad/evil guy in historical dramas, I think some of the Yi clan's later accomplishments probably have changed people's perception of Yi Ui Bang and the 'early' members of the Yi clan. I think the way Yi Ui Bang is portrayed in this drama shows that. I mean, King Sejong (Yi Bang Won's son and 4th king of Chosun) is one of the greatest rulers in Korean history. He is as highly regarded as Wang Guhn and had, for the most part, a peaceful reign. I imagine it's hard to condemn Yi Ui Bang, even if he was a tyrant, when King Sejong is one of his descendants. I think it gets back to what Du Kyung Seung said in a recent episode of 'The Age of Warriors', you condemn the act but not the man.
Just something I was thinking about and so I decided to share.
One of the things about the Yi clan is that even though Yi Ui Bang and his brothers end up being labeled treasonous criminals, they still come back into power many years later and overthrow the government. Although no one is really ever portrayed as a straight up bad/evil guy in historical dramas, I think some of the Yi clan's later accomplishments probably have changed people's perception of Yi Ui Bang and the 'early' members of the Yi clan. I think the way Yi Ui Bang is portrayed in this drama shows that. I mean, King Sejong (Yi Bang Won's son and 4th king of Chosun) is one of the greatest rulers in Korean history. He is as highly regarded as Wang Guhn and had, for the most part, a peaceful reign. I imagine it's hard to condemn Yi Ui Bang, even if he was a tyrant, when King Sejong is one of his descendants. I think it gets back to what Du Kyung Seung said in a recent episode of 'The Age of Warriors', you condemn the act but not the man.
Just something I was thinking about and so I decided to share.