Paying the Price
Students today often call Yang Guifei the “Chinese Helen of Troy” both for the sake of convenience and familiarity, but upon closer examination, these two femme fatales have contrasting personal histories that reveal the epithet to be a misleading one. Both Yang and Helen possessed beauty striking enough to bring men to their knees and nations to their downfalls, and this is understandably why the two are so often compared. But we as scholars must also recognize that they had differences as great as the stretch of time that separated their lives and the degree of incongruity between the two cultures in which they were each epitomized as the ideal of beauty.
What is undeniable is that Helen and Yang Guifei’s beauty invited great misfortune into both their lives. This misfortune lay in their tumultuous romantic histories. As for Helen, every man who laid eyes on her seemed to covet her. Theseus, king of Athens, kidnapped Helen to be his bride when she was only a child, though her brothers, the Dioscuri, quickly recovered her and returned her to Sparta. When Helen eventually reached the age of marriage, “an avalanche” of the most eligible suitors from all parts of Greece came to court her, putting on extravagant shows of wealth meant to impress her father, King Tyndarecus, rather than to win her affections[1]. Helen had little to no say in her eventual marriage to Menelaus (chosen for the political advantages he provided for Helen’s father), just as Yang Guifei had no choice in becoming Xuanzong’s concubine. Yang Guifei was originally a concubine to Xuanzong’s son, but Emperor Xuanzong (who was then already in his sixties) was so enamored of her upon first glance that he “forced his son to relinquish her”[2] and took her for himself.
In many ways, Helen and Yang seemed to have very little control over their fates[3], but when they used the titles that their beauty bought them to their own advantage, they hurt those around them as well as themselves. Helen, enamored by the young Trojan prince Paris, committed adultery and ran away with him, embroiling all of Greece in a war that would leave Troy in flames. Yang Guifei, too, fell in love with a man younger than her lawfully betrothed- An Lushan. Much like Paris, An Lushan had an exotic appeal, as he was a general of Turkish origin. Yang adopted An Lushan as her legal son, and thanks to Yang Guifei’s powerful favoritism, he eventually came in control of the greatest number of troops under any one general in the Tang dynasty at the time. Soon, a power struggle developed between Yang’s jealous relatives and General An Lushan, who “led his troops in an open rebellion”[4] in 755 A.D. This rebellion was not the end of the Tang dynasty, as the Trojan War had been the demise of Troy, but still marked the end of the High Tang period, as well as the beginning of the “long, slow decline of Tang political and military power”[5].
Though both Helen and Yang Guifei made decisions that engulfed their nations in war, Helen’s story ultimately had a “fairytale ending,” whereas Yang Guifei’s story was a tragedy whose last act was her death. Menelaus was amazingly generous in taking Helen back and reinstating her as the queen of Sparta. It is said that he was so struck by Helen’s beauty upon seeing her for the first time in years that he could not bring himself to kill her once Troy had been captured. He loved her to the bitter end (that is, Troy’s bitter end). He decided to forgive her for her betrayal, though the more kingly choice may have been to execute the woman who had involved all of Greece in a decades-long bloodbath. Yang Guifei, in contrast, was ultimately abandoned by the one who had loved her most. She was forced to hang herself with a silk cord on a tree, in full view of the helpless Xuanzong [6], who could not deny the demands of his troops that the woman who had marred the name of the Tang dynasty be put to death. Yang Guifei was made to pay her debt to the society that her decision-making had touched, whereas Helen, to the end of her days, was never asked to pay for the part she played in the calamity of the Trojan War.
Perhaps Helen and Yang’s destinies were so contrasting because of a fundamental difference between the two women- Helen’s origins were not only royal, but also divine, and gave her legitimate claim to her seat of power, whereas Yang Guifei’s did not. Helen was born a daughter of Zeus and Queen Leda, and this divinity was a great part of her appeal (Theseus, for example, had kidnapped her with the goal of having sex with a daughter of Zeus before dying[7]). The nature of Yang Guifei’s birth, however, is less clear. She was either the daughter of a high official[8], or the daughter of a commoner[9]. Either way, Yang remained forever a concubine who never gained official status as empress or even as wife, as opposed to Helen, who was first given the title of “queen” by Menelaus then that of “wife” by Paris and then Paris’ brother Deiphobus.
In calling Yang Guifei the “Chinese Helen of Troy,” we hold the responsibility of bestowing upon Yang at least as much sympathy[10] as we do upon Helen. Helen could have prevented the massacre at Troy by returning to Menelaus of her own volition. But to the very end of the War, she chose to wreak havoc upon the lives of thousands through her so-called “passivity,” only watching as countless men fought sword-to-sword over the question of her faithfulness. Yang, on the other hand, contributed to but ultimately had no control over An Lushan’s rebellion. Yet Helen was allowed to return to Menelaus’ side as if the sacrifice of the men who died yelling her name as a battle cry were something that could be forgotten. Yang Guifei, at the very least, paid the high price for her sins- her very own life.
[1] Robert E. Bell, "About Helen of Troy," Modern American Poetry, ed. Cary Nelson and Bartholomew Brinkman, U of Illinois, n.d. 26 Feb. 2013. <http://www.english.illinois.edu>
[2] "Yang Guifei (Chinese Concubine)," Encyclopedia Britannica. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Britannica Academic Edition, 25 Feb. 2013. <http://www.britannica.com>.
[3] Aphrodite was the one who promised Helen’s hand in marriage to Paris. But Helen’s affair with Paris was the result of many factors, another being, perhaps, the arranged nature of her marriage with Menelaus (who offered neither the fabulous wealth nor the dashing good looks that many of her other suitors had possessed).
[4] Paul S. Ropp. China in World History. (New York: Oxford UP, 2010) The New Oxford World History, 60.
[5] Paul S. Ropp. China in World History. (New York: Oxford UP, 2010) The New Oxford World History, 61.
[6] Dorothy Perkins, "Yang Guifei," Encyclopedia of China: The Essential Reference to China, Its History and Culture, (New York: Roundtable, 1999) 595.
[7] Robert E. Bell, "About Helen of Troy," Modern American Poetry, ed. Cary Nelson and Bartholomew Brinkman, U of Illinois, n.d. 26 Feb. 2013. <http://www.english.illinois.edu>
[8] "Yang Guifei (Chinese Concubine)," Encyclopedia Britannica. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Britannica Academic Edition, 25 Feb. 2013. <http://www.britannica.com>.
[9] Dorothy Perkins, "Yang Guifei," Encyclopedia of China: The Essential Reference to China, Its History and Culture, (New York: Roundtable, 1999) 595.
[10] Years after Yang’s execution, Bo Juyi’s narrative poem, the “Song of Everlasting Sorrow,” garnered sympathy for Yang Guifei among the masses. He portrayed her as a frail, vulnerable woman of ephemeral beauty who was tragically torn apart from Xuanzong, her true love, by a cruel twist of fate.
What is undeniable is that Helen and Yang Guifei’s beauty invited great misfortune into both their lives. This misfortune lay in their tumultuous romantic histories. As for Helen, every man who laid eyes on her seemed to covet her. Theseus, king of Athens, kidnapped Helen to be his bride when she was only a child, though her brothers, the Dioscuri, quickly recovered her and returned her to Sparta. When Helen eventually reached the age of marriage, “an avalanche” of the most eligible suitors from all parts of Greece came to court her, putting on extravagant shows of wealth meant to impress her father, King Tyndarecus, rather than to win her affections[1]. Helen had little to no say in her eventual marriage to Menelaus (chosen for the political advantages he provided for Helen’s father), just as Yang Guifei had no choice in becoming Xuanzong’s concubine. Yang Guifei was originally a concubine to Xuanzong’s son, but Emperor Xuanzong (who was then already in his sixties) was so enamored of her upon first glance that he “forced his son to relinquish her”[2] and took her for himself.
In many ways, Helen and Yang seemed to have very little control over their fates[3], but when they used the titles that their beauty bought them to their own advantage, they hurt those around them as well as themselves. Helen, enamored by the young Trojan prince Paris, committed adultery and ran away with him, embroiling all of Greece in a war that would leave Troy in flames. Yang Guifei, too, fell in love with a man younger than her lawfully betrothed- An Lushan. Much like Paris, An Lushan had an exotic appeal, as he was a general of Turkish origin. Yang adopted An Lushan as her legal son, and thanks to Yang Guifei’s powerful favoritism, he eventually came in control of the greatest number of troops under any one general in the Tang dynasty at the time. Soon, a power struggle developed between Yang’s jealous relatives and General An Lushan, who “led his troops in an open rebellion”[4] in 755 A.D. This rebellion was not the end of the Tang dynasty, as the Trojan War had been the demise of Troy, but still marked the end of the High Tang period, as well as the beginning of the “long, slow decline of Tang political and military power”[5].
Though both Helen and Yang Guifei made decisions that engulfed their nations in war, Helen’s story ultimately had a “fairytale ending,” whereas Yang Guifei’s story was a tragedy whose last act was her death. Menelaus was amazingly generous in taking Helen back and reinstating her as the queen of Sparta. It is said that he was so struck by Helen’s beauty upon seeing her for the first time in years that he could not bring himself to kill her once Troy had been captured. He loved her to the bitter end (that is, Troy’s bitter end). He decided to forgive her for her betrayal, though the more kingly choice may have been to execute the woman who had involved all of Greece in a decades-long bloodbath. Yang Guifei, in contrast, was ultimately abandoned by the one who had loved her most. She was forced to hang herself with a silk cord on a tree, in full view of the helpless Xuanzong [6], who could not deny the demands of his troops that the woman who had marred the name of the Tang dynasty be put to death. Yang Guifei was made to pay her debt to the society that her decision-making had touched, whereas Helen, to the end of her days, was never asked to pay for the part she played in the calamity of the Trojan War.
Perhaps Helen and Yang’s destinies were so contrasting because of a fundamental difference between the two women- Helen’s origins were not only royal, but also divine, and gave her legitimate claim to her seat of power, whereas Yang Guifei’s did not. Helen was born a daughter of Zeus and Queen Leda, and this divinity was a great part of her appeal (Theseus, for example, had kidnapped her with the goal of having sex with a daughter of Zeus before dying[7]). The nature of Yang Guifei’s birth, however, is less clear. She was either the daughter of a high official[8], or the daughter of a commoner[9]. Either way, Yang remained forever a concubine who never gained official status as empress or even as wife, as opposed to Helen, who was first given the title of “queen” by Menelaus then that of “wife” by Paris and then Paris’ brother Deiphobus.
In calling Yang Guifei the “Chinese Helen of Troy,” we hold the responsibility of bestowing upon Yang at least as much sympathy[10] as we do upon Helen. Helen could have prevented the massacre at Troy by returning to Menelaus of her own volition. But to the very end of the War, she chose to wreak havoc upon the lives of thousands through her so-called “passivity,” only watching as countless men fought sword-to-sword over the question of her faithfulness. Yang, on the other hand, contributed to but ultimately had no control over An Lushan’s rebellion. Yet Helen was allowed to return to Menelaus’ side as if the sacrifice of the men who died yelling her name as a battle cry were something that could be forgotten. Yang Guifei, at the very least, paid the high price for her sins- her very own life.
[1] Robert E. Bell, "About Helen of Troy," Modern American Poetry, ed. Cary Nelson and Bartholomew Brinkman, U of Illinois, n.d. 26 Feb. 2013. <http://www.english.illinois.edu>
[2] "Yang Guifei (Chinese Concubine)," Encyclopedia Britannica. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Britannica Academic Edition, 25 Feb. 2013. <http://www.britannica.com>.
[3] Aphrodite was the one who promised Helen’s hand in marriage to Paris. But Helen’s affair with Paris was the result of many factors, another being, perhaps, the arranged nature of her marriage with Menelaus (who offered neither the fabulous wealth nor the dashing good looks that many of her other suitors had possessed).
[4] Paul S. Ropp. China in World History. (New York: Oxford UP, 2010) The New Oxford World History, 60.
[5] Paul S. Ropp. China in World History. (New York: Oxford UP, 2010) The New Oxford World History, 61.
[6] Dorothy Perkins, "Yang Guifei," Encyclopedia of China: The Essential Reference to China, Its History and Culture, (New York: Roundtable, 1999) 595.
[7] Robert E. Bell, "About Helen of Troy," Modern American Poetry, ed. Cary Nelson and Bartholomew Brinkman, U of Illinois, n.d. 26 Feb. 2013. <http://www.english.illinois.edu>
[8] "Yang Guifei (Chinese Concubine)," Encyclopedia Britannica. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Britannica Academic Edition, 25 Feb. 2013. <http://www.britannica.com>.
[9] Dorothy Perkins, "Yang Guifei," Encyclopedia of China: The Essential Reference to China, Its History and Culture, (New York: Roundtable, 1999) 595.
[10] Years after Yang’s execution, Bo Juyi’s narrative poem, the “Song of Everlasting Sorrow,” garnered sympathy for Yang Guifei among the masses. He portrayed her as a frail, vulnerable woman of ephemeral beauty who was tragically torn apart from Xuanzong, her true love, by a cruel twist of fate.