Prince Tan of Yen - Essay Example

Although it was quite difficult to figure out the way he could manage to fight such a strong King, he worked relentlessly and sought the advice of the wise men of Yen in the way that he could manage this task. After a long period of planning, the revenge plan failed and Tan had to remain in this state of shame. In reality, revenge is not the end of shame, but a beginning of shame itself. When the revenge plan of Tan failed, he was left more disgraced that he had ever been. The Prince of Tan, after his release, felt very disgraced after his release after a long period of the hostage.

The way the Prince managed to get out captivity seems to be more of a miracle than a win. When he requested to be released, the king expressed the hopelessness of such an instance by telling Tan to turn the Crow heads to turn white and the horses to grow horns (Ma and Lau 43). Surprising the Prince managed and the king had to let him go. The question that arises here is as to whether the Prince should appreciate his release or get into more problems by launching revenge. He hastily organizes a revenge attack against Chin, for which Chu Wu warns against the danger of confronting the strong king without considering the consequences.

Tien Kuang, one of his advisor, also termed the issue a matter of grave for the state that needed long thinking (45). Although the two are willing to help in the planning process, they still fear the consequences of the matter. When Chu Wu and Tien Kuang go to kill the king, they end up being fooled and lose the battle (45-49). At the end, this mission becomes a disgrace for both Yen and Fan Yu Chi, another character that was obsessed with revenge for his family. A keen observation of the story of the Prince of Yen shows that revenge is a source of disgrace rather than a source of exaltation.

Although the Prince of Yen had shamelessly suffered from the torture from the King of Chin, it would have been better if he did not plan the revenge attack.