Kkoktukaksi nori
Quick Summary
Kkoktukaksi nori is a traditional Korean puppet play that has been performed by farmers for centuries. The play, named after the wife of the main character, is still performed in the summer months in South Korea by troupes of six or seven players and musicians.1
The puppet plays, like the mask plays, are known for their satiric social criticism. The characters, which include figures like Pak Ch'om-Ji (governor of P'yŏngan), Kkoktukaksi, a Buddhist monk, and Hong Tong-Ji, dance and sing familiar tales that expose the wrongdoings of the ruling classes. These puppet shows are a significant part of Korean oral literature, which includes texts that were transmitted orally before the invention of the Korean alphabet, Hangul.2
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- Korean literatureOral literature
…two puppet-show texts are extant, Kkoktukaksi nori (also called Pak Ch’ŏmjikuk; “Old Pak’s Play”) and Mansŏk chung nori. Both titles are derived from names of characters in the plays. No theory has been formulated as to the origin and development of these plays. The plots of the puppet plays, like…
Read More…two puppet-show texts are extant, Kkoktukaksi nori (also called Pak Ch’ŏmjikuk; “Old Pak’s Play”) and Mansŏk chung nori. Both titles are derived from names of characters in the plays. No theory has been formulated as to the origin and development of these plays. The plots of the puppet plays, like…
Read More - Korean performing artsChosŏn and modern periods
The folk puppet play Kkoktukaksi, named after the wife of the main character, is still performed in the summer months in South Korea by farmers in troupes of six or seven players and musicians. Twelve or 15 puppets make a set (compared with more than 100 in Indonesian or…
Read MoreThe folk puppet play Kkoktukaksi, named after the wife of the main character, is still performed in the summer months in South Korea by farmers in troupes of six or seven players and musicians. Twelve or 15 puppets make a set (compared with more than 100 in Indonesian or…
Read More