Overcoming Social Barriers In Bridal Du's Peony Pavilion

In The Peony Pavilion, the female lead, Bridal Du, is also born into a family of high status like Oriole. This play was written during the Ming Dynasty, during which Confucianism still dominated the society’s way of thinking. Thus, Bridal Du is held to the same social expectations of being docile, hidden from the public, and being respectful to her parents, just as Oriole was. Her upbringing, in terms of education, is primarily overseen by her father, Du Bao, a Confucius scholar. He values are strictly guided by the Confucius ideology stating that society must always be in formal order. These beliefs funnel into his parenting methods. Bridal Du’s personality stands in contrast to her father as she is more interested in, and in tune with, nature’s …show more content…
There is evidence that this disconnection is what leads her to commit her ultimate defiance. Although Bridal Du is very attentive in following her duties as a daughter, it is difficult for her to suppress her natural desire to feel love and freedom. In scene nine, Fragrance, her maid, describes the dilemma Bridal Du encounters as she studies. Fragrance states, “when she reaches the lines ‘So delicate the virtuous maiden, a fit mate for our Prince,’ she quietly put the book down and sighed. ‘Here we may observe the full extent of love to the true sage…how should it be other than this?’.” Sensing Bridal’s discontent, Fragrance suggests that she take a break from her studies and explore the garden instead. Bridal, however, is afraid of the consequences she may face if it is discovered that she has gone out to the garden. She does not agree to go until Fragrance convinces her that she will not be found out. From this scene, it is clear that Bridal Du is obviously not content with the life she is living, however, she is too afraid to explore her nature desires because of the social values she has been taught to submit …show more content…
When Bridal enters the garden, the first remark she makes is that she is finally able to “realize this splendor of spring.” This scene shows that because she has an attachment with nature, being in its presence has begun to release her true inner desires. As the scene develops, Bridal describes her longing for romance, she states, “Here am I at the “double eight,” my sixteenth year, yet no fine “scholar to break the cassia bough” has come my way.” She falls asleep as she continues to contempt the fate of her life. It is only in her dream that she is finally able to fulfil her romantic desires for the first