Chunhyangjeon
Yi Mongryong
The hero
A noble young scholar who falls in love at first sight and returns in disguise to keep his vow.
Mongryong is the son of Lord Yi, the magistrate of Namwon. He is a scholar, romantic, and sincere. On the morning of the Dano festival, he puts down his books to go to Gwanghallu Pavilion, and he falls for the girl on the swing before he even knows her name.
He is determined and honest, and he does not court Chunhyang as a game. He goes to her mother's gate, declares that he seeks true marriage, and swears never to forsake her. His weakness is that he is a son under his father's authority, and he cannot take her with him. But he has strategic patience, and he spends the rest of the story earning the power to protect her.
“Heaven and Earth be my witness: I shall never forsake her, in joy or in sorrow.”
In the story
Contains spoilers.
When his father is promoted to Hanyang, Mongryong asks to bring Chunhyang as his bride and is refused with scorn. He tells her in tears that he must leave, and swears to return. In the capital he studies by oil lamp, writes a brilliant essay on justice, and takes first place in the royal examination.
The King appoints him Secret Royal Inspector, gives him the bronze horse seal, and sends him south. He disguises himself as a beggar, visits Wolmae and Chunhyang's cell, and tells her to hold fast. At Byeon's banquet he writes a poem condemning the magistrate's cruelty, then reveals his seal. He strips Byeon of his office, tests Chunhyang's loyalty once more, and reveals himself with her jade ring.
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