Thoughts on Hwang Jin-Yi, or…The Tragic Life of an Artist

So far all the dramas I’ve watched have taken place in modern-day Korea. This one was a bit of a departure, as it’s the first piece from the historical drama genre that I’ve watched. It’s about the life of Hwang Jin-Yi, a famous courtesan from the Joseon Dynasty era. From what I can tell, not much is actually known about the historical Hwang Jin-Yi, so her story is ripe for fictionalization.

Plot

I guess I ought to explain Jin-Yi’s position in life for anything here to make sense. In old-time Korea, there was a monarchy, as well as a caste system. Courtesans were among the low-born class, and they could not hold positions of power. What does a courtesan do? Essentially, the courtesans were high-class prostitutes who were trained in the arts. Noblemen could pay money to spend the night with them, and they would also perform dances and music at royal banquets. According to this drama, this way of life had pros and cons. On the one hand, they were sexual playthings, but on the other hand, they had the chance to express themselves artistically, which is more than most low-born people got to do.

If you plan to watch this drama and don’t want the first few episodes spoiled, avoid the rest of this section.

We first meet Jin-Yi as a girl who lives in a Buddhist monastery to be trained for a monastic lifestyle. She knows she was put there by her courtesan mother, whom she desperately wishes to meet, but her mother has never come for her. One day she and some of the other children take a trip to the market, and on the way back, Jin-Yi catches a glimpse of the courtesan dance troupe giving a performance. She is captivated by the performance, and eventually runs away to join the courtesans due to the artistic passion within her.

Once she joins the troupe she gets to meet her mother, Hyeon-Geum, who had put her in the monastery to prevent her from becoming a courtesan. By law, the daughter of a courtesan must become a courtesan too, but Hyeon-Geum hates living as a courtesan, and didn’t want her daughter to have the same life she did. Nonetheless, she’s happy to have the daughter she loves so much back, and the two of them establish a close relationship.

Jin-Yi proves to be an exceptional talent, and eventually becomes the most renowned courtesan in the country. Her journey is not an easy one, however. She has to deal with many tragedies and lost loves throughout her life, and she has to balance her passion for art, her human desire for love and her restricted role in society.

Writing and acting

I think the writing was good in that all the pieces of the story fit together well. The pacing was good, and this was the second drama I’ve seen where the ending didn’t feel out of place.

The acting was great too. Ha Ji-Won did an excellent job playing the title character, and the supporting performances were generally of high caliber too. There were a few courtesans whose acting I thought wasn’t particularly good, but they were less important to the story.

I recognized only one actor from a different drama, and that was the actor who played Gun-Woo in Beethoven Virus. He played one of Jin-Yi’s lovers here. I think he may actually be the reason I ended up watching this drama; it was recommended to me by someone on Italki to whom I had mentioned that I was watching Beethoven Virus. She probably thought of this one because of that actor.

Music

I thought the soundtrack to this drama felt odd. Some of the background music had a techno drum beat under stringed instruments, which clashed with the historical imagery. There was also a pop song that served as a sort of “love theme.” While the song was nice, and not “poppy” enough to be totally out of place, it still struck me as a tad bit strange. I guess that’s the style for most of these dramas, but if the soundtrack had been all orchestral music, it might’ve worked better in some ways.

There was one piece of music that I really liked, and it was part of the orchestral track. I guess it would’ve been the “dancing” theme, because we hear it when Jin-Yi is practicing her dancing. It was really beautiful.

Ending

I thought they got the ending just right. The last episode has a sad moment near the end, perhaps the part that moved me most, but Jin-Yi still manages to have a happy ending for herself. In short, the story of Jin-Yi as an artist is brought to its proper conclusion.

Observations

There was a very egalitarian message underlying much of this drama. The men Jin-Yi loved were of higher birth, making it impossible for them to be with her and be accepted by society. The most she could’ve expected to be under that system was a concubine. There were two men who were willing to give up their positions just to be with her, but they were generally seen as exceptionally good members of the upper ranks.

The noblemen were often shown in an unfavorable light. There was a minor character who was of noble birth, and purported to be a scholar, but he was actually lazy and sought personal pleasure above all else. He felt sure he could slide by in life due to his high-born status, despite his utter uselessness. Another noble character repeatedly tried to win Jin-Yi’s heart, but he was constantly humiliated by her rejections, because he was arrogant and insincere.

While this drama wasn’t completely one-sided on this issue, it did in many ways seem to be a repudiation of the historical caste system. It portrayed it as a structure where self-serving people could hold positions of power, while exceptional people were stuck in the lower classes. Not that that’s completely incorrect, I’m sure, but of course, the question is bigger than that.

I think the Korean language used in this drama may have been an archaic form, at least in some places, because at times I didn’t recognize the endings they used. It would make sense, since this takes place in the 16^th Century or so, and they probably wanted to be true to the period. It should also go without saying that there was not a word of English to be heard.

This is definitely not a drama full of sunshine and roses. Several characters die during the story, and Jin-Yi has to deal with heartbreak several times. Another recurring message is that an artist must know pain to be able to touch others.

I recently learned  a word: “쪽박.” Literally it means “small gourd,” but symbolically it means “complete failure.” I’m not certain, but after watching this drama I have a theory on why that symbolic meaning might be. There’s a part where Jin-Yi takes to the streets to dance for the people, and she puts out a gourd to collect money. Perhaps the gourd symbolizes failure because it can be associated with begging for money.

Even though Jin-Yi was the central character, I think the character I enjoyed most was Hyeon-Geum, her mother. She had a very gentle, loving spirit, and even though she wasn’t involved in much of the action, she helped keep Jin-Yi grounded. She was the perfect embodiment of the aging courtesan whose spirit is barely hanging on after a rough life, yet manages to hold on to her artistic soul and love the people around her.

Final Thoughts

I thought this drama was OK, but as of right now, I rank it second-to-last on my list of favorite dramas. I had a hard time getting into it, and often my mind would wander as I was watching. It was very well-made, but for whatever reason, it just didn’t captivate me like other dramas have. With many dramas I couldn’t wait to watch the next episode, but with this one, I was usually ready to move on to something else by the time the episode ended.

I would say Hwang Jin-Yi is worth watching, but it may not always excite you.

Current Drama Ranking

        1 . Beethoven Virus

        2 . Unexpected You

        3 . Three Dads, One Mom

        4 . Lovers in Paris

        5 . Hwang Jin-Yi

        6 . Spring Day