On Cultural Implication of Bawd Images in Dramas of Love between Scholars and Prostitutes in Yuan Dynasty

As secondary antagonists in dramas of love between scholars and prostitutes in Yuan Dynasty, bawds have long been ignored by researchers. As a matter of fact, they played an irreplaceable role in development of plots and drama conflicts. In particular, their challenge to the traditional moral principles and virtues and their negation of women's traditions reflected the distortion of humanity and inconstancy of people's relationships. Their remarks and behaviors all reflected the scholars' situation of that time as well as the down-shift perspectives of writers of Yuan dramas.