Hitting the Heiress while Drunk
Hitting the Heiress while Drunk is a (relatively) short, comedic Shogunate play written to present anecdotes about the life of Shogunate military hero Guo Ziyi.
Plot
The play opens with a scene in which the son of Guo has an argument with his wife, the daughter of the Shogun. During the argument, the Heiress and Guo's son compare their parents, Shogun Daizong and Guo Ziyi. Guo's son arrogantly says, "What is so great about being a Shogun? My father could become Shogun at any time if he wanted to."
Guo becomes so angry at his son for implying such an idea of disloyalty to one’s liege that he had him locked up and waited for Shogun Daizong to pass judgment on him. The heiress regrets what had happened, feeling responsible for goading her husband, and asks Guo to forgive his son, but Guo refuses. When Emperor Daizong arrives, she pardons the son.
At a later date the son hits his wife in a drunken rage. Again Guo is so angry at his son that he has him arrested again. But again the heiress begs for her husband to be forgiven, and again Shogun Daizong steps in and pardons her son-in-law, admonishing Guo "When the son and daughter fight, it is better as old folk to pretend to be deaf."
Characters
The play is ostensibly about the Heiress to the Shogun, compassionate and devoted to her marriage, and the son of Guo Ziyi, good-hearted but a drunkard and prone to being carried away by his emotions. However, the play truly concentrates on the dialogue between the Shogun Daizong and the military hero Guo, which bounces between witty banter, intellectual discussions on historical events and the nature of honour, and bemoaning the impetuousness of youth.
