THE SAGUEK DRAMA TITLE
&
THE TEASER POSTER
LEE JOON GI: The Fourth Prince, Prince Wang So / Emperor
Gwangjong
THE KOREAN SUPERSTAR: THE SUN AND THE MOON
THE
DRAMA TITLE
MOON
LOVERS - SCARLET HEART: GORYEO
THE
MEANING
If one is looking for a superb drama to watch this autumn,
look no further. The saguek drama ‘Moon Lovers’ with its irresistible allure,
is poised to take the limelight. The shooting of the drama is completed, so is
the subtitling of the 20 episodes.
It seems that the Drama Director, Production Staff and Design Department have already crafted
and finalised the title in English but it is still not very clear why so many over-enthusiastic
drama writers and drama sites are flirting with various alternatives. Everywhere one
turns, the place is rife with their own versions of the title.
Bombarded with so many suggestions, the drama staff must be mighty pleased with the unrivalled enthusiasm and passion of fans and writers who compete to offer more interesting options. Sometimes, it takes different people to view the title with fresh eyes to be able to suggest better possibilities and arrive at a title that is fit for that Amazing Royal Story.
The title suggested by the saguek drama staff seems
to be:
Moon
Lovers – Scarlet Heart: Goryeo
Or
Moon
Lovers – Scarlet Heart: Ryeo
‘Moon Lovers’ obviously is the main title and ‘Scarlet Heart:
Goryeo’ is the subtitle or secondary title. Previously, many fans and writers had thought that
there were two separate titles.
The Ryeo or Goryeo is used to differentiate the Chinese Scarlet
Heart (Bu Bu Jing Xin) from the Korean adaptation.
What does Ryeo mean? Is it the short form of Goryeo? If so, are
they using it because it glides easily over the tongue?
Gorgeous
Eyes: The Fourth Prince, Wang So
The Moon and The Sun
The Moon refers to Wang So. In the promotional or
teaser posters, we are told that Wang So does not want to be The Sun (king).
It implies that he wants to remain as The Moon but his light shines brilliantly. Does
it also imply that he, as The Moon,
has overshadowed or eclipsed The Sun or the other Suns, meaning the kings
including his father, King Taejo and the preceding two kings, his brothers?
Think ‘Solar Eclipse’ and ‘The Full Moon’. A solar eclipse occurs when the moon is full. It is then that the moon eclipses the sun. At the height of the moon's brilliance, even the radiance of the sun is obscured. The suns are upstaged by a luminous moon. 
Solar Eclipse: The Sun is eclipsed by the Moon
Most understand what ‘Moon Lovers’ mean. It speaks of the fateful meeting of two lovers from different millenniums - she, from the third millennium and he, 'The Moon' is from the first millennium. The other part of the title, ‘Scarlet Heart: Goryeo’ is not too difficult to understand either.
Goryeo is self-explanatory. It refers to the Goryeo Dynasty that was founded by Wang Geon or King Taejo in the tenth century. It is the name from which its modern name, Korea, is derived.
‘Scarlet’ means a brilliant red colour, like blood or the colour of flames.
In Korea, there is no symbolism for scarlet although red symbolizes passion.
In western culture, scarlet, being a strong colour, symbolizes power, wealth, luxury, nobility, courage, passion, force, joy, blood and sacrifice. It is also associated with wickedness, immorality, lust and sin.
However, in Chinese alchemy, *scarlet heart means a sincere heart (chixi wuwei) or perhaps, it conjures up the idea of sincerity, fidelity and loyalty. This also describes Wang So other than what is being described in western terms.
Wang So or Emperor Gwangjong of the Goryeo Dynasty has a scarlet heart as he is ruthless and cruel / loyal. Therefore, he is The Scarlet Heart of Goryeo.
If Emperor Gwangjong is the Scarlet Heart of Goryeo, the drama title would seem to bespeak Gwangjong’s capacity for cruelty and ruthlessness. The drama would most certainly be slathered with gore and violent power struggles. Or it could tell another side of Gwangjong, his sincerity and loyalty to the Goryeo Kingdom / Empire and his sincere love towards Hae Soo. Wouldn’t it make more sense, then, to rephrase the title in other ways:
Moon Lovers: Goryeo’s Scarlet
Heart
or
Moon Lovers: The Scarlet Heart of
Goryeo
Imagine it in another way.
(Joon
Gi Lovers: Korea’s Sweetheart)
(Joon Gi Lovers: The Sweetheart of Korea)
Just think of it: If there are sequels,
Wang So might be reincarnated as a Joseon King.
Then, the title might read:
Moon
Lovers: Joseon’s Scarlet Heart
If there is going to be a movie version,
it might be:
Moon
Lovers: The Reincarnated Scarlet Heart
(or what nots)
But then, we suppose the Drama Director, Production Staff and Design Department have long
debated over the issue.
Instead of being helpful, writers or fans might add to the confusion. It might be the case of too many cooks.
And if the ‘final’ version is decided, writers, viewers and fans would have to toe the line and close
ranks.
*Zhang Zilie Compendium of Correct Characters
|
THE
PRINCES AND HAE SOO
PERSONALITY
TRAITS
(Top left)
3rd Prince Wang Yo (Hong Jong-hyun), 4th Prince Wang So (Lee Joon Gi), Hae-soo, the
Time Traveller (IU), 8th Prince Wang Wook (Kang Ha-neul)
(Bottom left) 14th Prince Wang
Jung (Ji Soo), 10th Prince Wang Eun (Byun Baekhyun), 13th
Prince - the other Wang Wook (Nam Joo-hyuk), 9th Prince Wang Won (Yoon Sun-woo)
The heart-thumping teaser-trailer for the drama had been released last month. To many would-be viewers and fans, the waiting period for Lee Joon Gi’s most-awaited latest drama must seem like an eternity.
To add to the suspense and tension, the main promotional poster which features the drama’s star-spangled cast has also been released. The teaser poster
is a composite picture of seven of the eight princes – Lee Joon Gi, Kang
Ha-neul and Byun Baekhyun, to name a few, and IU.
The drama portfolio is impressive, and seven
of the eight captivating princes and the 21st century female time-traveller
are shown to artistic perfection in the character posters. All of them,
particularly, the lead actor, Lee Joon Gi, look so handsome and dreamy that
it seems almost surreal. When the drama poster and the title were revealed, it
attracted nationwide attention (Korea) as well as popular foreign interest,
particularly in Asia.
The puzzle of the personalities of the seven princes is not that easy to solve, what with the miserable promotional
handouts. In the individual character posters which also includes that of IU,
some aspects of each character is disclosed. One cannot help but try to second
guess their personalities based on the Teaser Trailer, Goryeo history and
one’s knowledge of Bu Bu Jing Xin.
THE
4TH PRINCE, WANG SO /
EMPEROR
GWANGJONG
(LEE
JOON GI)
The first character poster, that of The Fourth Prince, Wang So (appropriately described as ‘The Moon’), claims that ‘he did not want to be ‘The Sun’ but his light shone brilliantly’. It implies
that he had probably eclipsed and overshadowed all the ‘Suns’. He, in fact,
did outshine all his predecessors (‘The Suns’) as he became the fourth
monarch, another sun, but the first emperor, Emperor Gwangjong.
The handsome and charismatic Prince Wang So is
a fascinating and compelling enigma. He, with his sword dripping with blood,
seems to announce that he has come to slay. And naturally, a bloodbath would
follow. It is no secret that he, having a wolf-dog personality is tough,
aggressive, ruthless and barbaric. When he ascends the throne, he would brutally
and mercilessly crack down on his enemies and rivals.
However, it is problematic to put the
enigmatic Wang So in a pigeonhole. The aristocratic Fourth Prince seems to
have a soft spot for Hae Soo, the Time Traveller and he seems to have oodles
of confidence in dealing with the maiden for whom he has fallen.
But, it would not be wrong to say that based
on the Teaser Trailer, the ruthless prince who comes off as a macho and
masculine Alpha male might act out of character. It might come as a surprise
to viewers that the Fourth Prince is sensitive at his core and might reveal
the chinks in his armour. His romantic tale is one of passionate love that
transcends time and space.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BHNDi_zj_5n/?taken-by=actor_jg
Though viewers would love to hate his brutal
character, they would most certainly empathise with the emotionally
vulnerable emperor when tears well up in his eyes upon the realization that
he has been betrayed by the one he loves the most.
Lee Joon Gi, being the sterling actor that
he is, would strut his stuff and by the end of the tale, all the female
viewers would be driven bonkers – they would go gaga over him!
THE
8TH PRINCE, WANG WOOK
(KANG
HA-NEUL)
‘Both love and power are in his
heart’
The Eighth Prince wrestles with romance and
power.
Would he choose love over power? He wants
both but it is nigh impossible. It is either Hae Soo or the Goryeo throne,
nothing more and nothing less.
He knows the quiet and humble aristocratic
lifestyle is not for him but he is unaware of his tragic future.
Hae Soo, who is from the twenty-first
century, has a thorough grasp of history and is acquainted with the fact that Wang Wook's struggle for the throne is doomed.
The Eighth Prince makes the wrong choice.
The romantic fairy tale ends and the gory nightmare begins. Love costs
nothing, but the fight for power is costly.
THE
TIME TRAVELLER
FROM
THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY
HAE
SOO (IU)
‘I want to live, if that
means nothing will change.’
Hae Soo is beleaguered and torn between two handsome
and powerful princes.
Her first love is The Eighth Prince, Wang
Wook. But, she is intelligent and smart enough to make the decision to leave
him for The Fourth Prince. She knows he does not have the gut-fire for the devastating
conflict ahead of him.
Moreover, she does not want to be at the
receiving end of the Fourth Prince’s wrath. Self-preservation is her priority.
Like most women, Hae Soo wants security and
protection, and it does not take much for her to figure out that the Eighth
Prince cannot deliver.
Only the Alpha male - the Fourth Prince and
future Goryeo Emperor can satisfy her demands. Her knowledge of Goryeo
history has given her a preview of Prince Wang So’s trajectory in Goryeo
history. Is that his competitive edge over the Eighth Prince?
THE 3RD PRINCE, WANG YO
(HONG JONG-HYUN)
‘He dreams of being the king of
Goryeo’
The Third Prince, Wang Yo, being the
recipient of his mother’s (Queen Sinmyeongsunseong) special love and undivided
attention, reaps all the royal privileges and
has nothing to spare for his younger blood brother, Wang So.
He is overly ambitious, and is relentlessly
driven to become the king of the Goryeo Dynasty by his mother. Probably, he
is convinced of his legitimate or divine right to the throne. He did, however,
ascend the throne as the third monarch, Jeongjong.
THE
9TH PRINCE, WANG WON
(YOON
SUN-WOO)
‘What he has is arrogance,
ambition, sense… and money’
The Ninth Prince, Wang Won, is, besides being
ambitious, is arrogant but realistic
and materialistic.
Wealth is his priority. With materialism, probably
comes corruption.
THE
10TH PRINCE, WANG EUN
(BYUN
BAEKHYUN)
‘Mischievous - young blood’
Wang Eun, The Tenth Prince is mischievous,
playful and is prone to attention-seeking behaviour. He has a lot of growing
up to do. He is interested in Hae Soo but he is too emotionally immature for
her. It is hard to take him seriously. But, he is quite an amusing and
entertaining character.
THE
13TH PRINCE – THE OTHER WANG WOOK (NAM
JOO-HYUK)
The Thirteenth Prince is also named Wang
Wook and is described as having ‘depth
of character and elegance’.
One can tell the depth of someone’s
character by the way he thinks. His thinking and philosophy is too far ahead
of his times. This Wang Wook understands that the Goryeo world is designed to
prey on the weak. Perhaps he thinks it is wrong to take advantage of the
weak.
THE
14TH PRINCE WANG JUNG
(JI
SOO)
‘The youngest brother’
Wang Jung, The Fourteenth Prince is the
‘baby’ in the royal family and it is not a bed of roses for him. Being the
youngest amongst his siblings (3rd and 4th) and half-siblings (1st, 8th, 9th,
10th and 13th), he is not treated seriously so much so he probably feels
inadequate. If one’s guess is correct, he would be in conflict with his older
brother, Wang So, and they would struggle for Hae Soo’s hand and the throne
at the end.
In the assembly line of handsome princes, the
1st Prince Wang Mu is the Crown Prince (not in the pictures). The supposedly sickly
prince, played by Kim san-ho, became the second monarch, Hyejong; the first
monarch being their father, King Taejo.
|
EXCRUCIATING WAIT
 
Many viewers cannot wait to watch the handsome, sexy and talented Lee Joon Gi in his new drama. His fame and his popularity
continue to ramp up. The release of the exciting teaser trailer and the beautiful
promotional posters has put Lee in the spotlight and made the wait even more
excruciatingly painful.
It is undeniable that the savage royal
conflicts of the handsome princes in an era rife with bloodshed would make
for a thoroughly engrossing drama.
The 20-episode drama, a fully pre-produced
drama, took five months to be shot but it would only premiere on 29 August
2016. It would be broadcast on SBS at 22:00 (Korean time) every Monday and Tuesday in simulcast with
China.
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