Eunuchs of the Forbidden City (Masterplots II: Drama, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Charles Ludlam
- First Published: 1972
- Type of Plot: Farce; history
- Time of Work: 1900-1920
- Setting: The Forbidden City and Shantung, China
- Principal Characters: Orchid Yehonala, Sakota, Chien Feng, Empress Dowager, T’ung Chih, Pervading Fragrance, Welcome Spring, Prince Kung, Prince Yi, Su Shun, An Te Hai, Li Lien Ying, Wu Yung Foo, A Lu Te
- Genres: Drama, Farce, History play, Epic theater
- Subjects: Sex or sexuality, Murder or homicide, Asia or Asians, Kings, queens, or royalty, China or Chinese people, Fertility, Royal courts or courtiers, 1900’s
- Locales: China
The Play
Eunuchs of the Forbidden City is a five-act play, set in China around the time of the Boxer Rebellion of 1900. When the curtain opens, Orchid Yehonala is having a bubble bath, attended by a young eunuch named Li Lien Ying. It seems an idyllic moment, but the restful scene is shattered by the arrival of Orchid’s cousin, Sakota (later called Tsu An). Sakota has borne a child to Chien Feng, the emperor of China. Orchid is overjoyed until Sakota tells her cousin that she has borne a girl child and that the emperor is in a deep depression. The Empress Dowager has...
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