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How does Romance of the Three Kingdoms portray Cao Cao Liu Bei and Sun Quan?
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Chinese literature
Zhang Fei on the Long Sloped Bridge Turning Away One Million Wei Troops with a Powerful Stare, woodblock colour print by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, 1884. It depicts a scene from the novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
In the 14th-century Chinese historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, the three primary rulers are characterized through distinct archetypes that emphasize their roles in the collapse of the Han dynasty:
- Cao Cao: Portrayed as the archetypal villain, he is depicted as an ambitious, ruthless, and unscrupulous general who dominates the north. While modern historians often view him as a pragmatic politician and skillful strategist, the novel characterizes him as a thoroughgoing antagonist who usurps imperial power.12
- Liu Bei: Presented as the virtuous hero of the story, Liu Bei is a descendant of Han emperors who rises from poverty to found the Shu-Han dynasty. His character is defined by his commitment to preserving the Han legacy and his deep loyalty to his oath brothers, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei.23
- Sun Quan: As the ruler of the south and the first emperor of the Wu dynasty, Sun Quan is portrayed as a more peripheral figure compared to his rivals. He is often depicted in the novel as being marginalized or engaged in unstable, shifting alliances with either Cao Cao or Liu Bei.2