Wiwaha Phra Samut of King Vajiravudh: Space, Gender, and the Semicoloniality of Siam
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Abstract
The play, Wiwaha Phra Samut (Marriage to the God of the Sea) by King Vajiravudh (Rama VI) is a drama charting the fundraising campaign for the Phra Ruang warship during World War I. The play not only hybridizes several features ranging from Greek mythology and the English navy to Thai culture, but also presents the so-called ‘semicoloniality of Siam’ and tools for the king’s nationalist project. Spatial and gender relationships in the play are crucial evidence of this. This article examines the construction and signification of space and gender and asks how these link to the semicoloniality of Siam. The result shows that colonial discourse underpins the construction of space and gender since Wiwaha Phra Samut creates an imaginary island. Within this space, a princess is destined to be martyred to the God of the Sea before the English navy claims itself to be the true God of the Sea to resolve the conflict. In this respect, the island is portrayed as spiritual and feminine whereas the sea represents masculinity, which connotes the white man. Similarly, British males possess the most power, whereas locals and the Other either submit to their power or are demonized. The island can be seen as a metaphor for Siam as Siamese elites designate themselves as ‘civilized people’ to make sense of their nation’s independent status. At the same time, the play also illustrates the attempt to adopt and adapt elements of Western civilization to propagate nationalist sentiment and establish the campaign in the context of World War I.
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Website
Sri Ayutthaya (pseudonym). (1966). Wiwaha Phra Samut. (In Thai) [Marriage to the God of the Sea]. Retrieved February 12, 2021, from https://vajirayana.org/วิวาหพระสมุุท