There's More Than One Way to Prove Your Worth: The Pressure to Succeed in Under the Queen's Umbrella

Image of the drama’s promotional poster was taken from the drama’s official website (tvN) and reproduced under Fair Dealing for educational purposes.

 

 

Fusion sageuk Under the Queen’s Umbrella (슈룹, tvN, 2022) is the story of a fictional Joseon-era queen managing the education of her five sons while protecting them from threats both inside and outside the palace. After watching the drama I realized that one of its major plotlines–competitions to decide which princes should hold certain prestigious positions–presents very similar characters and situations to the contemporary drama SKY Castle (SKY 캐슬, JTBC, 2018-2019), which criticizes the lengths to which some upper-class parents go to ensure that their children are accepted at the most prestigious universities. K-drama scholars have pointed out that fusion sageuk insert modern perspectives and elements into historical settings, using the past to interpret the present, and we can see that here. Let us look at how Under the Queen’s Umbrella imagines the pressure to succeed academically in the Joseon era using similar types of characters and scenarios as SKY Castle.

 

The concubines have different approaches to preparing their sons to succeed. Photo from the drama’s official website (tvN), reproduced under Fair Dealing for educational purposes.

When the first competition for a prestigious position is announced, the king’s concubines are excited about the possibility of their sons making a good showing. This is treated comically at first, as we see them chattering with each other in a friendly manner and commiserating good-naturedly with those whose sons’ chances seem less promising. Then they realize that one person in the palace has already succeeded at educating a prince who could rise to the highest levels: the dowager queen, herself a former concubine, managed to put her son on the throne even though there were higher-ranked grand princes with a stronger claim (how exactly she managed to do that forms a large part of the drama’s plot). The concubines all try to flatter the dowager queen in order to learn some of her secrets, bringing her gifts wrapped in bojagi, which recalls a similar scene in SKY Castle where one of the mothers, who is desperate to gain the favour of an elite university applications coach, presents the coach with a box of handmade delicacies wrapped in bojagi, containing a layer of gold bars at the bottom. Although we don’t see the contents of the concubines’ gifts to the dowager queen, the deal they make in exchange for her help clearly shows the importance they place on their sons’ success in the competition. Consort Tae, the mother of one of the brightest princes, promises to do anything that the dowager queen asks in exchange for a book revealing the secrets of a successful prince’s education.

Consort Tae (played by Kim Ga-eun) and her son Prince Bogum (played by Kim Min-gi) ask the dowager queen for help winning the competition, but Prince Bogum is an honourable person and ultimately, he decides not to cheat. Photo from the drama’s official website (tvN), reproduced under Fair Dealing for educational purposes.

 

A montage shows the concubines practicing various techniques from the dowager’s book. Most of the scenes are quite humorous, but they also reveal the mothers’ different attitudes. Some of them are kind coaches, encouraging their sons but assuring them they can stop if it gets too difficult, while others berate their sons when they fail to achieve their exacting standards. This is also similar to SKY Castle, where the parents had a range of attitudes toward their children’s studies, some encouraging their children without placing undue pressure on them, and others maintaining a strict regime through harsh discipline. The latter attitude caused some of the children a great deal of distress, leading to grave consequences. In Under the Queen’s Umbrella, we see this as well, through one prince whose mother disowns him when he reaches his limit and cannot continue in the competition. Unable to bear the rejection, he makes a drastic decision, but he is saved by the queen. She gives him love and support and helps him repair his relationship with his mother, who has learned almost too late that her child’s well-being is more important than his academic success.

 

The queen (played by Kim Hye-soo) pushes the grand princes to become responsible and successful students, but she always keeps their well-being foremost in her mind. Photo from the drama’s official website (tvN), reproduced under Fair Dealing for educational purposes.

Like the other princes’ mothers, the queen is also desperate for one of her children to win the various competitions, because they would all be in danger if the princes backed by other factions rose to power. However, the queen has a different approach than the concubines. Rather than illegally engaging some of the court officials to pass them the exam questions in advance and to guarantee that their papers will receive high marks like some concubines do, she studies the scholarly texts herself and draws up study notes to help her children the grand princes learn the material as well. The queen is well aware of the cheating that is going on, and at a pivotal moment, she appeals to the court officials directly, shaming them into stopping their dishonourable behaviour. But cheating is not the only misdeed being committed during the competitions: some of the other factions go so far as to try to eliminate the competitors so their preferred candidates can win. Luckily, the queen is able to stop the attempted murder of one of the grand princes, although the people responsible keep trying to seize power, and the prince they are backing (who did murder an innocent commoner while trying to win the competition) remains a threat until the end of the drama. In SKY Castle, the children’s main academic rival gets murdered as well, showing the lengths to which some people are willing to go to satisfy their ambition.

 

Even though their very lives might be in danger, the queen’s sons are determined to do their best in the competition. From left to right, Yoon Sang-hyeon as Grand Prince Muan, Park Ha-jun as Grand Prince Ilyeong, Yoo Seon-ho as Grand Prince Gyeseong and Moon Sang-min as Grand Prince Seongnam. Photo from the drama’s official website (tvN), reproduced under Fair Dealing for educational purposes.

 

Like in SKY Castle, where one of the mothers hid her humble background so that her children wouldn’t be at a disadvantage, social class is also a factor in Under the Queen’s Umbrella. Consort Tae, who promised to do anything the dowager queen asked, is crushed when the dowager queen tells her that she was only using Prince Bogum for her own purposes, but she would never permit him to win the competition because his mother was a mere palace maid who was elevated to consort after catching the king’s eye. We have seen Prince Bogum’s good character and talents and know he is worthy of a high position, unlike the dowager queen’s favoured prince, whose maternal family has noble rank but ignoble character. In this unfairness lies a harsh critique of classist society. However, both dramas leave viewers with a sense of hope. In SKY Castle, there are characters who show that one can succeed in one’s chosen career no matter one’s background, and in Under the Queen’s Umbrella, the kind and talented Prince Bogum does secure a good position surrounded by those who appreciate him.

 

The queen assures Prince Bogum that he is valued and that he can make an important contribution to the kingdom as long as he doesn’t abandon his principles. She also demonstrates that she cares about his well-being by asking him if he is okay and encouraging him to talk to someone when he is having a hard time. Photo from the drama’s official website (tvN), reproduced under Fair Dealing for educational purposes.

Within the historical setting, Under the Queen’s Umbrella uses the storyline of princes competing for prestigious positions to critique the pressure to succeed academically, a familiar topic for contemporary viewers. By proposing approaches where children are supported in their studies but not pushed beyond their limits with no concern for their well-being, and where those in charge of children’s education behave honourably rather than going to any lengths to secure an advantage, the drama offers us ways to make the pursuit of academic success a healthier and more positive activity in the present as well.