Masquerade Review: An Analysis of the Film in Terms of Minjoong, Minjok, and Haan
Overview
This paper analyzes the Korean film Masquerade through three cultural concepts: minjoong (appreciation of cultural arts), minjok (national identity and shared history), and haan (resentment and grief). The analysis examines how these themes are portrayed through the protagonist's dual role and explores the different structures of haan present in the film.
What this essay covers
- Introduction to minjoong, minjok, and haan concepts as portrayed in Masquerade through the king's fear and Ha-Sun's role as his double
- Exploration of minjok through King Gwanghae's attempts to preserve Korean dynasty and challenge Ming dominance
- Classification and analysis of three types of haan: passive haan (withdrawal and resignation), active haan (vengeance and rage), and unconscious haan (slow-developing resentment)
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Masquerade Review
An Analysis of the Film in Terms of Minjoong, Minjok, and Haan
- Minjoong refers to the appreciation of different aspects of life such as drama, literature, art, and music. In the Masquerade film, Minjoong is represented in the instance when King Gwanghae is afraid of being killed by the greedy and corrupt officials. He therefore requests his chief secretary to find Ha-Sun, who resembles him and copies his actions and voice such as being a great entertainer and an acrobat. Ha-Sun has challenging roles such as fooling the officials, and the queen. As a result, he has fears because he does not know what he will do once discovered.
- Minjok refers to a group of individuals who share a common history, and whose work enhance the development of a modern nation, The masquerade movie, portrays Minjok in that King Gwang-hae attempts to preserve Korean dynasty in various ways. For instance, he happens to be the only king who criticizes the Ming dynasty of China. Besides, King Ha-Sun tries to fight the injustices committed by the court, and the absurd nature of politics, which causes him to be the people’s champion. As a result, people look upon Ha-Sun favorably because of helping them to ease the burden of taxation.
- Haan refers to resentment and grief emotions. Haan is related to Korean identity that characterizes Korean culture as sorrowful.