The Western Wing Analysis

This paper will discuss how The Story of the Western Wing, The Peony Pavilion, and The Peach Blossom Fan all share a common theme in which a young woman defy the social constraints and expectations imposed upon her by society in order to live a life on her own terms.
The Story of the Western Wing was written during the Yuan Dynasty and during this time period, Confucianism teachings shaped the political and social structure of the society. Confucianism established several expectations for women, all of which Oriole, the female lead of the play, is expected to obey. According to Confucius’s teachings, women had specific duties they had to fulfill. Daughters, especially those who were born into affluent families like Oriole herself, were expected to remain docile and silent. They were never allowed to leave home or be seen in public. Their desires, wants, and dreams were insignificant. …show more content…
As an extension of being submissive to men, under Confucianism, women were not allowed to see men who were not their husband, father or close relative. There lacked a necessity to see men besides the ones a woman had the duty to obey. By tradition, marriage was to be decided by the parents of both sides. Oriole was already promised to a man even before she is even old enough to marry. Madam states in Act 1 that her father, “promised her (Oriole) to my nephew Zheng Heng, the eldest son of Minister Zheng, as his wife.” Romantic love was rarely considered because under Confucianism marriage was treated as the union of two entire families, not just two people. Because of this, daughters would be promised to men of equal or higher social status in order to maintain or better her family’s social rank. These strict guidelines for marriage meant that society considered fulfilling ones love outside the bond of marriage to be an exceedingly indecent and licentious