General Information
Here some things will be outlined to help give you a better idea of the time and how to best play your muse.
The rich are rich and the poor are barely able to survive. Crime rates are at an all time high, police making arrests in the night and some nobles found slain in their bed with their house ransacked. There is a current curfew and anyone caught violating it will be tossed in jail immediately and interrogated, sometimes even tortured. There is a public beheaded almost every week and it does nothing but bring the common people closer to their breaking point. Any who speak ill of the king or seem suspicious are labeled as traitors. With a rebellion so close at hand, the king's royal advisers are taking drastic measures to try and ensure the safety of the royal family.
The society is very patriarchal. Men hold all the rights and women are typically seen as nothing more than property, depending on status.
Marriages and Dowries
Parents will try to marry their daughters off as soon as they come of age (for in game purposes this age will be 15 or 16). The groom to be and his parents may refuse to marry a daughter if they deem the dowry to be too small. A dowry is what is paid by the bride's family to the groom's family for them to take their daughter. It can be money, property, or even livestock. The bigger and better the dowry, the better chance the daughter will be married off. Very seldom do women get to marry for love.
It is not uncommon for the daughters to run off and turn to a life of prostitution to avoid marriage.
Women of nobility or royalty
These women are taught to become accomplished citizens. They learn how to read, draw, play music, cook, and maintain proper etiquette for a lady. This is done to make them seem more desirable in the eyes of a wealthy man or someone of notability.
Men in society
Men are seen as the sole provider of their family. The eldest son will always inherit the land of his father or his business. This tends to cause tension amongst the other brothers in the family. All males are allowed to vote and even poor men will always have the option to find work. Marrying within social boundaries is a most. A noble can never marry someone of common birth. It is extremely frowned upon and may result in the man getting kicked out of his family.
Pregnancies and birth
Infancy mortality rate is extremely high and there are no forms of contraception to prevent pregnancies. It is very likely that a woman will go through a miscarriage or abortion during their first attempt at a child. A son is always highly desired by a family because only sons can carry on a family's name and legacies. Daughters are seen in very poor light because they must first be taken care of and kept pure by her family before being married off at the first available chance.
Doctors and Illnesses
The morality rate is also very high. A common cold could easily lead to death in these times. Medicine is very expensive and very hard to come by for common people. Actual doctors and physicians only typically treat the rich and royal. There are designated doctors for the common people but they have no real experience in the field to deal with wounds and illnesses. There are some physicians who take pity on the lower people and will help them for free or for small fees.
Differences and Similarities between Upper and Lower Classes
Both - There is a strong emphasis on familial ties as well as great respect for elders. Those who have little respect for their elders are thought to be very rebellious and unfit for society. Elders are to be treated with respect, even if they are only a year or even a month older. Banmal, or intimate speech, is only to be used amongst friends and parents to their children. In order to initiate banmal, the elder of the two speaking always says, “Why don’t we just use banmal?” and if it’s agreed upon, polite speech is not needed anymore. This, however, is a mutual agreement. Even someone is older than another, it is very rude to initiate conversation using banmal to a stranger. (There won’t be too strong of an emphasis on this while rping, seeing as how we all roleplay in English. That being said, anyone who suddenly comes off as rude to a stranger, would be quite weird in this setting. Though it is allowed if their personality calls for it!) Shoes must be taken off before entering any household. It's thought to be disrespectful otherwise. Bowing shows respect and everyone in Korea does it or else they're also thought to be disrespectful.
Upper - Anyone of upper class would not be caught dead in anything but their formal wear. Even when sleeping, their outfits are intricately designed and for woman, their skin is typically covered up at all costs. It is rare for a woman of upper class to have their hair down when in public, for hair symbolizes beauty and usually is only shown to close relatives or their lovers. The upper class tends to eat very slowly and take every detail into account while eating their meals. The rich can be spotted like a sore thumb in a crowd of workers.
Lower - Lower class men and women are much more casual with their appearance and actions. Girls roam around with the hems of their dresses dirty and often either tie their hair up or just leave it down freely. Men, due to the fact that they work much harder than men of upper class, typically don’t care what their appearances look like. They can often be set apart from someone of upper class due to their speech; they use more slang and colloquial speech compared to those of nobility.
The Royal family - Although under the late king, the princesses and princes would often go into town to get a feel for society outside of their palace, under the new king, they’re all under much stricter guard. Visits to town are looked down upon and if they do choose to go, they’re constantly under the watchful gaze of guards and some of the king’s henchmen. Typically, they're only allowed to form relations with workers in the palace or those of nobility. They all must answer to the king.
Palace workers - They are generally always in the palace unless otherwise told. They're allowed to visit their families who live outside the family, but they must ask for permission. They speak formally to anyone who enters the palace and they must always answer and greet people with a bow. There's a hierarchy of workers - royal council and guards at the top and concubines, servants, and chambermaids at the bottom.
Economy
Major landowners, or nobility, control the economy. Nobility don’t farm on their land, but give their land to sharecroppers to farm on. In turn, those sharecroppers (farmers) are given a small percentage of what is made, and generally they and their family are given a place to stay.
Doctors, lawyers, and rich merchants are next on the food chain. They tend to be very well-off, but do not have much influence in society.
The lower class is far larger than the upper class. Most people in this class have no job stability; one month they could be making enough money to provide for their families, and by the next month, they could be scraping the streets for a dime.
Palace workers make enough money to survive and many send the money they make to family members outside palace walls. An ideal job for any young male or women is a job in the palace for conditions are great and their pay is decent.
The rich are rich and the poor are barely able to survive. Crime rates are at an all time high, police making arrests in the night and some nobles found slain in their bed with their house ransacked. There is a current curfew and anyone caught violating it will be tossed in jail immediately and interrogated, sometimes even tortured. There is a public beheaded almost every week and it does nothing but bring the common people closer to their breaking point. Any who speak ill of the king or seem suspicious are labeled as traitors. With a rebellion so close at hand, the king's royal advisers are taking drastic measures to try and ensure the safety of the royal family.
The society is very patriarchal. Men hold all the rights and women are typically seen as nothing more than property, depending on status.
Marriages and Dowries
Parents will try to marry their daughters off as soon as they come of age (for in game purposes this age will be 15 or 16). The groom to be and his parents may refuse to marry a daughter if they deem the dowry to be too small. A dowry is what is paid by the bride's family to the groom's family for them to take their daughter. It can be money, property, or even livestock. The bigger and better the dowry, the better chance the daughter will be married off. Very seldom do women get to marry for love.
It is not uncommon for the daughters to run off and turn to a life of prostitution to avoid marriage.
Women of nobility or royalty
These women are taught to become accomplished citizens. They learn how to read, draw, play music, cook, and maintain proper etiquette for a lady. This is done to make them seem more desirable in the eyes of a wealthy man or someone of notability.
Men in society
Men are seen as the sole provider of their family. The eldest son will always inherit the land of his father or his business. This tends to cause tension amongst the other brothers in the family. All males are allowed to vote and even poor men will always have the option to find work. Marrying within social boundaries is a most. A noble can never marry someone of common birth. It is extremely frowned upon and may result in the man getting kicked out of his family.
Pregnancies and birth
Infancy mortality rate is extremely high and there are no forms of contraception to prevent pregnancies. It is very likely that a woman will go through a miscarriage or abortion during their first attempt at a child. A son is always highly desired by a family because only sons can carry on a family's name and legacies. Daughters are seen in very poor light because they must first be taken care of and kept pure by her family before being married off at the first available chance.
Doctors and Illnesses
The morality rate is also very high. A common cold could easily lead to death in these times. Medicine is very expensive and very hard to come by for common people. Actual doctors and physicians only typically treat the rich and royal. There are designated doctors for the common people but they have no real experience in the field to deal with wounds and illnesses. There are some physicians who take pity on the lower people and will help them for free or for small fees.
Differences and Similarities between Upper and Lower Classes
Both - There is a strong emphasis on familial ties as well as great respect for elders. Those who have little respect for their elders are thought to be very rebellious and unfit for society. Elders are to be treated with respect, even if they are only a year or even a month older. Banmal, or intimate speech, is only to be used amongst friends and parents to their children. In order to initiate banmal, the elder of the two speaking always says, “Why don’t we just use banmal?” and if it’s agreed upon, polite speech is not needed anymore. This, however, is a mutual agreement. Even someone is older than another, it is very rude to initiate conversation using banmal to a stranger. (There won’t be too strong of an emphasis on this while rping, seeing as how we all roleplay in English. That being said, anyone who suddenly comes off as rude to a stranger, would be quite weird in this setting. Though it is allowed if their personality calls for it!) Shoes must be taken off before entering any household. It's thought to be disrespectful otherwise. Bowing shows respect and everyone in Korea does it or else they're also thought to be disrespectful.
Upper - Anyone of upper class would not be caught dead in anything but their formal wear. Even when sleeping, their outfits are intricately designed and for woman, their skin is typically covered up at all costs. It is rare for a woman of upper class to have their hair down when in public, for hair symbolizes beauty and usually is only shown to close relatives or their lovers. The upper class tends to eat very slowly and take every detail into account while eating their meals. The rich can be spotted like a sore thumb in a crowd of workers.
Lower - Lower class men and women are much more casual with their appearance and actions. Girls roam around with the hems of their dresses dirty and often either tie their hair up or just leave it down freely. Men, due to the fact that they work much harder than men of upper class, typically don’t care what their appearances look like. They can often be set apart from someone of upper class due to their speech; they use more slang and colloquial speech compared to those of nobility.
The Royal family - Although under the late king, the princesses and princes would often go into town to get a feel for society outside of their palace, under the new king, they’re all under much stricter guard. Visits to town are looked down upon and if they do choose to go, they’re constantly under the watchful gaze of guards and some of the king’s henchmen. Typically, they're only allowed to form relations with workers in the palace or those of nobility. They all must answer to the king.
Palace workers - They are generally always in the palace unless otherwise told. They're allowed to visit their families who live outside the family, but they must ask for permission. They speak formally to anyone who enters the palace and they must always answer and greet people with a bow. There's a hierarchy of workers - royal council and guards at the top and concubines, servants, and chambermaids at the bottom.
Economy
Major landowners, or nobility, control the economy. Nobility don’t farm on their land, but give their land to sharecroppers to farm on. In turn, those sharecroppers (farmers) are given a small percentage of what is made, and generally they and their family are given a place to stay.
Doctors, lawyers, and rich merchants are next on the food chain. They tend to be very well-off, but do not have much influence in society.
The lower class is far larger than the upper class. Most people in this class have no job stability; one month they could be making enough money to provide for their families, and by the next month, they could be scraping the streets for a dime.
Palace workers make enough money to survive and many send the money they make to family members outside palace walls. An ideal job for any young male or women is a job in the palace for conditions are great and their pay is decent.