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Ordinary characters in Nguyen Du's Legend of the Ancients - 4

The natural human-like features of the god Thuong Luong captured Duong Thi, the wife of the Trinh governor, to be his wife. In the letter Duong Thi sent to the governor, she said: "Unexpectedly, one night, something happened, and her body fell to the bottom of the abyss. Because she could not sink into pearls and jade, she had no choice but to let the moon and oil of flowers flow ." The god Thuong Luong captured another man's wife, but when accused, he denied it, saying that the governor had slandered him. The denial of the god Thuong Luong showed his deceitful nature, refusing to admit his mistake: "The other person was on earth, the little god was underwater, each went their separate ways, and had no influence over the other. Yet he spread false accusations to harm innocent people ." But with Duong Thi's conviction, the crime of the god Thuong Luong was revealed: "the man in red was the enemy," " unfortunately, he was kidnapped by that demon, and it had been three years . " If just now, the god Thuong Luong still denied his actions, now everything right and wrong has been verified. The king could not help but be angry and said: “I did not expect that enemy to be so cunning. Inside, he committed lewd acts, but on the outside, he denied it. If he dared to do such a thing, even if he was executed, it would not be a pity .” It can be seen that Nguyen Du did not hesitate to expose the evil nature of the god Thuong Luong. At the same time, the author also raised the issue that even gods, fairies, Buddhas... also have bad habits and ordinary traits.

In the work, the characters expressed their thoughts on living with their personal needs. The king character said: "Human life is like a passerby, the previous one passes by and the next one arrives" in The Story of a Lawsuit in the Dragon Palace . Scholar Ha Nhan in The Story of a Strange Encounter in the Western Camp also affirmed "People born in this life are like flowers on a tree, blooming and withering at a certain time, unable to survive even for a moment" . It is these thoughts that make the characters want to live passionately, seizing every moment of their youth. They rush into a liberal lifestyle, seeking satisfaction of their personal needs in this world.

After reading the work, readers all have the common feeling that Nguyen Du has talked a lot about boys and girls, about love affairs between couples. Out of 12 stories about ordinary characters in Truyen Ky Man Luc , there are 7 stories about passionate love affairs of ordinary characters. Those are the stories:

- The story of the adopted father in Khoai Chau

- The story of the kapok tree

Maybe you are interested!

- Strange story at the Western camp

- The story of Dao Thi's unjust karma

Ordinary characters in Nguyen Du's Legend of the Ancients - 4

- The story of Tu Thuc marrying a fairy

- The story of the monster in Xuong Giang

- The story of Tuy Tieu

In some stories, Nguyen Du did not go into detail about the love affairs of the characters but only told them briefly. In The Story of the Godfather in Khoai Chau , the author told about the love affairs of the characters Trong Quy and Nhi Khanh: "Because the two of them were separated for a long time, their love was now even more passionate, the happiness was beyond words" [8, 221]. The story of the Monster in Xuong Giang was the same, Nguyen Du only told "Becoming husband and wife, their love was very passionate" . That was the love between the mandarin Hoang and Thi Nghi. It can be seen that, with just a few short sentences, Nguyen Du was able to tell about the passionate love affairs of the characters. The author expressed the worldliness of human beings through the need for physical pleasure.

If in The Story of the Adoptive Father in Khoai Chau and The Story of the Monster in Xuong Giang, the author only briefly recounted the love affair of the ordinary characters, then here, Nguyen Du described it more strongly and directly. The author was very bold and unrestrained when expressing the unhealthy love relationship of the character Ha Nhan with the two girls Dao and Lieu in The Story of Encounter in the Western Camp . Ha Nhan, a

Confucius's disciples were "discouraged by pen and ink, and passionate about love" .

“Sinh invited the two girls to come to his lodgings and chatted affectionately. He flirted and teased them, and the two girls shyly said:

- We have not yet experienced spring, the pistil is still blooming, we are afraid that heavy rain and wind will not be able to bear the weak flowers.

Sinh gently persuaded her, then turned off the light and went to bed. The fire was filled with a warm fragrance, and their lovemaking was completely satisfying.

Nguyen Du also let his characters recite poems about the closeness between men and women, "legs together, cheeks together" . After listening to Lieu and Dao recite poems: "Ha Nhan clapped his hands and laughed, saying:

- The situation in the spring room, described like that is truly wonderful, I can hardly keep up with the two of you in my flowery words.

Ha Nhan continued to chant:

The graceful book of the young man's dream, I met him following the clouds and rain to Vu Phong.

The orchid is white and the lotus is red.

The quiet and peaceful place is like a river, the water flows from east to west.

Absolutely related to the type of style, the style of style is different.

Pandemic:


The guest's room was filled with cold sleep, Clouds and rain suddenly came to Vu Phong.

White butterflies fly and play alternately, The flower stalks show off their brilliant pink color.

A nest of warm and comfortable birds, A few lines to share the pink water of the west.

Both romantic and elegant, each with its own charm.

In The Story of the Kapok Tree , merchant Trinh Trung Ngo met Nhi Khanh on Lieu Khe Bridge on a romantic and poetic night. Trinh Trung Ngo was enchanted by Nhi Khanh's beauty, "a peerless beauty" , the two were entangled with each other, immersed in physical debauchery. Nhi Khanh wrote a poem about the pleasure between the two:

"Together with the nine-year-old man, I suffer the pain of the noon hour, and the newlyweds say goodbye.

Jade is a pearl and a necklace, and the fragrance is like a baby.

The dream is over, the butterfly is half asleep. Spring is over, the third watch of the night, the resentful son returns.

This is a past of enemies, we are in the same grave, we are so close that we don't know each other's hearts.

Pandemic:


“The spring dream is so tiring in the wilderness, Suddenly the love life is so awkward. The jade bamboo shoots caress the silk thread, The silk thread is untied and the embroidered shoes are taken off.

The dream is over, the butterfly's pillow is bewildered and lost. Spring has ended, the cuckoo's branches cry anxiously. The vow of sharing the same grave has not yet been fulfilled. For each other, we are willing to risk our lives.

Nguyen Du describes the pleasures in the bedroom of monk Vo Ky and Han Than in Dao Thi's story of unjust karma : "The two of them fell in love, passionately in love, like butterflies meeting spring, in a drought of rain, they no longer paid attention to the scriptures . "

The writer also expressed the need for pleasure in the immortal character. When talking about immortals, everyone thinks of paradise, a place without any greed or personal desire. But in the story of Tu Thuc marrying a fairy, Tu Thuc doubted that: "Now the immortals each return to their own place, living in solitude, is it because material desires do not arise, or they do exist but must be suppressed . "

Under Nguyen Du's pen, sexual love is a step forward of a love that is voluntary and devoted. The author did not hesitate to talk about the love affairs between men and women, and their joy together. The writer did not go into glorifying sexual desire but wanted to express the need for soulmates, the desire for sympathy of ordinary characters. Nguyen Du discovered the most ordinary aspirations for happiness of people through a profound and new humanitarian perspective.

In short, the thoughts and lifestyles of ordinary characters in Truyen Ky Man Luc are considered from the perspective of feudal etiquette. We see that ordinary characters have their own advantages and limitations. In addition to the gentlemen who live with ideals and ambitions, there are also men who live depraved lives, giving in to trivial desires. However, looking at it from another perspective, Nguyen Du described the thoughts and lifestyles of ordinary characters with a humane heart. In addition to criticizing social reality through the characters' lifestyles, Nguyen Du also sympathized and discovered ordinary aspirations. That shows that any character has shortcomings and worldly aspirations. The important thing is that the character himself must perceive the problem correctly and want to improve himself.

2.3.3. The fate of ordinary characters

Nguyen Du is a talented artist when it comes to recreating the fate of ordinary characters. Each ordinary character has their own fate, but in general, most of them are people who suffer unfortunate fates.

The ordinary female characters in Nguyen Du's works have unfortunate fates, and for various reasons they have to die. These are the stories:

- The story of the girl from Nam Xuong

- The story of the adopted father in Khoai Chau

- The Story of Le Nuong

- The unjust karma of Dao Thi

Le Nuong and Phat Sinh in The Story of Le Nuong are two people who had an engagement since childhood, they loved each other "although the wedding date was not set, but the two were attached, no different from husband and wife" . But the war broke out, Le Nuong was captured and taken to the palace, then sent to the border. It was the social situation that caused Phat Sinh and Le Nuong to separate. In the end, she had to commit suicide to preserve her reputation. Le Nuong said "I would rather die in a stream, close to my homeland, than go to the North to become lonely ghosts" . Le Nuong's fate represents the fate of women living in the chaotic society at that time. They did not enjoy happiness but had to suffer a lot of bitterness, had to choose death to preserve their dignity.

In The Story of a Godly Woman in Khoai Chau , Nguyen Du also portrayed the unfortunate fate of the character Nhi Khanh. Nhi Khanh is a loyal and devoted wife to her husband. She always has the intention of building a happy family, but she cannot take the initiative to maintain that happiness. Nhi Khanh can accept waiting for her husband to return, but she cannot accept her husband turning her into a commodity for exchange. She chose death so that her dignity would not be tarnished: "Father and son are heartless, mother is very sad. Separation is

It is normal for a mother to die. But she only thinks of her children. It can be seen that Nhi Khanh's fate is very sad. She waited for her husband, hoping for a day of happy reunion. But fate did not give Nhi Khanh complete happiness and let her die for the person she loved. Is life really so cruel to women?

The story of the girl from Nam Xuong also mentions the unfortunate fate, the unjust death of the character Vu Thi Thiet. The war caused Vu Thi Thiet's family to be separated when Truong Sinh went to the army. She had to stay home alone to take care of her old mother and raise her young children. After the war, Truong Sinh returned to reunite, hoping to find happiness after many months of separation. But on the contrary, because of Truong Sinh's jealous nature, Vu Thi Thiet had to die unjustly. Vu Nuong's death was due to being pushed to a dead end with no way out, no matter how much she explained, she could not relieve Truong Sinh's suspicion. The pleasure of "respecting family and property" that Vu Nuong had long wanted to cultivate now became a distant dream. Her loyalty to her husband was paid for by Truong Sinh's suspicion. Perhaps, when the husband no longer believes in chastity and loyalty, that is also when a woman feels the most heartbroken. That pain cannot be erased, only those involved can truly understand. She drowned herself in the waters of the Hoang Giang River to clear her name: “This unfortunate woman has a miserable fate, abandoned by her husband and children, bound by fate, her reputation is tarnished, the river god has your spirit to witness. If I am virtuous and chaste, pure and clean, in the water I will become the pearl My Nuong, on the ground I will become the grass Ngu My. If I am willing to be a fish in the heart, deceiving my husband and children, below I will be food for fish and shrimp, above I will be food for kites and crows, not only will I be spat upon by everyone . ”

The story of Dao Thi's unjust karma tells about the tragic fate of the female character Dao Han Than. Dao Thi's life is extremely rich and complicated,

Unlike other female characters in Truyen Ky Man Luc . If the death of Nhi Khanh ( The story of the righteous father in Khoai Chau) and Vu Nuong ( The story of the daughter of Nam Xuong) is the transformation between two stages: from the mortal life to the eternal life of the dead whistle, then the death of Dao Han Than is the ups and downs of life between the stages of being a human and a ghost. She was beautiful and "well-versed in music and words" , and was recruited into the royal palace. But when King Du Tong passed away, "she was thrown out into the streets" . At this time, she "often went to the house of the Governor, Nguoi Nhuoc Chan" . The Governor's wife showed suspicion, jealousy arose, and she beat Dao Thi to death. Being beaten for no reason, she was "extremely angry" and decided to take revenge. But the assassin was caught, revealing that the mastermind was Dao Han Than. Compared to the power of the government, Dao Thi was just a commoner in society. The crime was right before her eyes, once again Dao Han Than had to face her life as a helpless woman. Dao Thi was the character representing talented but ill-fated women. As Nguyen Du later said in The Tale of Kieu :

"Thinking about life makes me bored, Why be so talented to make heaven and earth jealous?"

And:


"If you have talent, why rely on it?

The word "talent" rhymes with the word "disaster".

Han Than had to shave his head and practice at Phat Tich pagoda. Perhaps the

The literary career was already haunting her, so Dao Thi established Cu Tinh hermitage , "inviting scholars to a meeting to ask for a literary plaque" . The opening of the hermitage was the next disaster for Dao Thi. She unintentionally made enemies with her student, who then wrote an essay mocking her worldly origin and sad past:

"Respectfully thinking that the abbot of Phat Tich mountain is Dao Thi, the music book has removed her name.

The Brahma King hid in the shadow and entered,

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