@barbrey’s been enlightening here about the connections between Greco-Roman mythology and this Hong sisters’ kdrama.
Now, I don’t know how many of you, bitches and lurkers, dismiss her posts because ~~ ooooh, it’s not “canon” and it’s largely interpretative ~~ but I, for one, think that great screenwriters gather inspiration from many sources, and great blogs gather insights from unique points of view.
I’m quoting her thesis on Theseus as the Captain, and I’ll give you my version.
Theseus (Cheong Meon) was known as an abducter of women; he’s a hero that unites the country but he’s also a player. Sounds a bit like CM uniting Gogoryeo and Silla, no? And CM sounded like a player to me, too, telling MW what to expect feelings wise now she was in love, as if he’d studied it!
The main story of Theseus that was debated in ethics,like the Actaeon myth, for hundreds of years, is the story of Theseus, Ariadne and the Minotaur. You’re likely familiar with it, but let me just summarize barebones so you’ll see where I’m going with this:
Theseus seduces Ariadne, the minotaur’s half-sister, in order to gain her help in finding and killing the minotaur in Crete. She helps him find the location, he kills her brother, and he betrays and abandons her while she’s sleeping.
This is not so different from our story: the Captain seduces Man Wol to find a specific location and conquer the Gogoryeo bandits. He kills her brother figure. He betrays Man Wol. In this version, MW is tricked into betrayal of her brother and people, but otherwise the bare bones aren’t much different.
I think it’s interesting what the Greeks and Romans thought were the sins of Theseus: not seducing Ariadne or conquoring the minotaur, but for betraying and abandoning Ariadne. In some versions he loved her and didn’t want to do it but the God of wine and excess, Dionysus, had dibs on her (please notice the prevalence of Wine and excessive spending by MW in HDL) and in others he just callously walked away.
So that’s the Theseus/Captain basis, but there’s more….
For me, the typical Greco-Roman mythology has always been more male-centric, and I think it’s about time we turn this story on its head. The focus here had been on Theseus.
Why not on Ariadne?
Ariadne was seduced and abandoned by Theseus, just like Manwol was charmed and betrayed by Captain. To me, Ariadne is the real heroine in Theseus’ saga, like Manwol is the real heroine in this kdrama.
If it weren’t for Ariadne’s brilliant idea – that ball of thread – then Theseus would have gone around and around that labyrinth, unable to find the sleeping Minotaur, kill it, and return back to the exit. And didn’t Ariadne give him the sword, too?
Theseus should have thanked Ariadne for her brilliant idea,
— just like in this kdrama, the Captain acknowledged Manwol’s help in his great feat. He thanked her for showing him the location of THAT place and giving him time.
I also don’t think Ariadne should be pitied.
She ended up marrying Dionysus, the god of wine, who loved her very much, anyway. Likewise, in this kdrama, Manwol is better off with Chansung who’s willing, not only to go along with her weird food trips, but also to indulge her crazy fangirling over the comedian Kim Joon Hyun. The Captain just kept on stealing her wine from her.
Centuries ago, the Greek and Romans viewed Theseus’ sins as betraying and abandoning Ariadne. But in this day and age, I would view the Hong sisters’ story, from Ariadne/Manwol’s perspective, as empowering a woman who was betrayed and abandoned, to find her escape from her labyrinthine existence. Whether it’s a prison or a fence, the Hotel del Luna is a labyrinth Manwol wants to be liberated from. It’s her struggle. Don’t let her high fashion, jaunty hats and matching jewelry deceive you.
Lastly, I would consider this kdrama as a sort of sequel or an epilogue to Theseus’ story. We’re seeing one alternative ending for Ariadne after she was abandoned on the beach – if she had been as tough as Manwol.
The Greek and Roman deities treated Ariadne like a side story to the epic tale of Theseus’ ascent to power. But here in this kdrama, MaGo didn’t let Manwol be cast away as a mere footnote in the conquest of Silla. MaGo took her in and waited for her to bloom again after a 1000-year solitude.
So there you go. My take on both mythologies, the Greco-Roman tale and the Hong sisters’ kdrama.
Thanks @barbrey for bringing Theseus — and Ariadne — to our attention. 🙂
I like your post. My only addendum is that for me Ariadne had the brains and Theseus had the brawl to make it through. Both were needed to kill the minotaur and stop the sacrifices.
Had Theseus failed, Ariadne could have weeped for him but she could always find another warrior and give him another sword and another ball of thread: her plan would success if carried by anyone with the guts and ability to go through it, for that is part of the beauty of intelligence.
On the other hand, had Theseus failed and died his story would have finished: he would have lost everything and probably no one would even remember him. For he put his life at stake and he only had one.
But yes, I am enjoying the misconstruction. And breaking anyone’s heart is for me a big sin:
“No es bueno romper un corazón, Deja Vù de lo que va a venir”
(Is not good to break a heart, Deja Vù for what is to come) Fito Páez – Fue Amor (It was Love).
The heart is the source of life: we need emotions on our daily lives to process reality and to carry on the burden of existence. To break it or taint it is basically to destroy a person, for a person in grief could even re-evaluate everything related to the heartbreaker. It could even shatter their sense of identity.
Now that I think about it, it could be that Man-Wol’s “memory loss” as a human is basically grief carried to the extreme and a trauma (heartbreak) so deep that her sense of self was shattered?… of course coupled by a selective memory…
Let me know what you think!!! =D
@Barbrey @packmule3 @FGB4877 This is a fantastic read! Thank you all so much! I love how the human psyche and experience continues through the centuries, so that myths with their wisdom can be revitalised in any age and inform our thoughts and attitudes.
My interest is in how the tales of old can be applied to our protagonists of now and to us in real life. Of course this is what we look for in any story we hear, read or watch, but it takes on an added sense of being connected or a ‘kinship’ to the culture of humanity, knowing that our concerns are embodied in the great classics and myths. We remember once again, that we are one great human family, sharing our woes and triumphs and wisdom together.
Every well meaning and thoughtful insight is grist to the mill of our discussions and joined ‘revelations’.
I don’t actually see Theseus/Dad as the Captain. Narratively it doesn’t work, though as a twist it could be fun. It was a joke, but wanted to show how that background myth could fit. I also think it shows how two shows, such as Goodbye My Princess and Hotel Del Luna, can seemingly have similar plots. The biggest similarity between those two shows was that two male characters seduced the mAin female in order to get information – a location – and then killed family members and betrayed her. This plotline with variations goes back thousands of years that we know of, maybe in Eastern myth as well, so I cry foul on the plagiarism accusations for this reason among many others. (And, as I stated in my last post about this, we don’t even have the Captain’s full story so don’t know if that’s what really happened anyway).
@Barbrey
I never understood the hoohah over plagiarism when such broad themes and tropes have been around since men started making stories. From the little I read through a friend, the real plagiarists played the victims and turned the tables on the original writers, etc.
What you say about the ‘full story’ of Capt CM is so true. Even in Ep 12 we are getting snippets. I never dare to speak too decisively about what’s happening or to be expected, because the room for error remains quite great!
Oh, do tell. I hope the Goodbye My Princess writer wasn’t implicated – it’s a general plot she did something different with, and I was quite fond of that show and its actors. I’d actually recommend it for its first half, which was fun and a little bit different and the main leads were charming. It bogs down second half but that’s par for the course in cdrama.
Yes about making predictions! I try to hedge bets all the way too. Even when I do make predictions based on some of the Diana myths – Actaeon, Orion, Hippolytus – they play out thematically but in totally different ways than I had imagined.
@Barbrey
No… there was nothing about Goodbye My Princess. It was ‘news’ through social media. Just a general finding of fault against writers of fan fic and such and then turning the tables and the community against the original writers in order to justify their plagiarism. Those who do not care to research the respective dates of the works being plagiarized continue to wrongly accuse the wrong person. Unfortunately I no longer can find the details.
I like that old themes are re-used but not in the same way. Coming up against a twist when one thinks one knows what’s what or suddenly figuring out that despite the differences, a familiar theme has been in play, is part of the fun of watching and ‘analysing’ shows.