Education Is A Matter Of Life And Death In ‘The Queen’s Umbrella’

Queen Im Hwa-Ryeong is a powerful woman, one of the most powerful women in the Joseon-era kingdom of Under The Queen’s Umbrella, but even a queen is vulnerable to political shifts of fortune. Despite having borne the king several legitimate sons, her power is somewhat dependent on the health of her eldest son, the Crown Prince.

Under The Queen’s Umbrella is not the first Korean historical drama to focus on the precarious position of female royalty during the Joseon Dynasty, but it does emphasize the machinations that such uneven power systems provoked. Because most court women had no real power to affect change, some turned to duplicitous plots—from rumormongering to murder—to improve their station.

Kim Hye-soo plays Hwa-ryeong, mother of the crown prince, played by Bae In-hyuk. He’s an exemplary crown prince, while her other sons are troublemakers and slackers. Although the palace hosts other princes, born to ambitious consorts and concubines, the grand princes don’t feel the need to excel or even compete, since their brother has already been named crown prince.

When the crown prince gets sick, not only is the queen concerned about her son’s health, but she must worry about her own position in court. What happens if he dies? The king’s mother, a former concubine, does not care for her and would prefer to deal with a more compliant woman as the mother of any future crown prince.

If something happens to the crown prince, the queen’s other sons might not be considered suitable to take his place. And a not-so-peaceful transition in power might result in her being deposed and threaten her children’s lives. Hwa-ryeong prays that her eldest son will improve, but if he doesn’t she must ensure that one of her other sons takes the throne. To achieve this they must focus on their studies, so she personally takes their education in hand.

Kim Hye-soo, who recently played a judge in the drama Juvenile Justice, commands the screen as a concerned mother and determined queen. Kim Hye-seok plays her wicked mother-in-law, seeming all the more menacing after playing a kindly grandmother in Start-Up. Choi Won-young, who recently appeared in the dramas Reflection of You and Youth of May, plays the king whose heir might be decided by these two headstrong women.