351 King Vajiravudh, Phraratchadamrat…, p. 70. 352 Ibid., p. 165.
353 Ibid. 354 Ibid., p. 173. 354 Ibid., p. 173. 355 Ibid., p. 175.
Historians have not yet found any specific Vajiravudh’s reference to Oxford
Hellenist poets or his view towards the movement.356 However, scholars stress that
Rama VI proudly claimed himself to be “an Oxford man… (who) sits on the throne of
Siam”.357 Moreover, that the throne personally brought men’s passion and loyalty to the
throne with the homoerotic sentiment, regardless of physical contact,358 also echoed the
claims of Uranians such as John Addington Symonds (1840-‐1893) and Oscar Wilde, who
testified to their divine asexual relationship following Plato and Socrates.359
Such passion for the King and nation, masculine physical strength as well as abstinence of sexual promiscuity, as mentioned earlier, became the permanent role model for an honorable man throughout the reign. These groups were constantly
mentioned as khondi (good person, คนดี)360 khonkla (a brave man, คนกล้า),361 luk-‐phuchai
thae (a true man, ลูกผู้ชายแท้),362 and also thahan thae (a true warrior, ทหารแท้).363
Against the backdrop of manly activities and homoerotic sentiment, the throne also expressed his unflattering attitudes to women. Apart from his polemic on “bad women” as mentioned earlier, Vajiravudh simultaneously accused women in general of suffering from a mental sickness, always yelling and screaming because of their constant
stress.364 He additionally regarded comely women, who were overly confident in her
beauty, as the most annoying things in the world.365 In his joyful mood to compose a
romantic comedy, the King also made the case, in “Phitwinai”(1922) and “Chao-‐kha! Salawat” (1920), in how the beauty of honorable young women could easily ruin
soldiers’ discipline.366
356 Among the large number of playwrights, poets and novelists, the King instead referred to William Shakespeare, Molière as well as his contemporaries, such as George Bernard Shaw, Hardy, Conan Doyle and others. Molière as well as his contemporaries, such as George Bernard Shaw, Hardy, Conan Doyle and others.
357 King Vajiravudh, The King and the Squire, p. 54. 358 Craig Reynolds, “Homosociality...”, pp. 264-‐265. 358 Craig Reynolds, “Homosociality...”, pp. 264-‐265.
359 Linda Dowling, Hellenism and Homosexuality in Victorian Oxford (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1994), p. 115. 360 Ibid., pp. 4, 6. 360 Ibid., pp. 4, 6.
361 Ibid., p. 65.
362 King Vajiravudh, Sia-‐sala…, p. 129. 363 Ibid. 363 Ibid.
364 King Vajiravudh, “Asawaphasit”, Dusitsamit, 5, 48 (November-‐December 1919), p. 37.
365 King Vajiravudh, “Keplek-‐phasomnoi (Save little by litle)”, Dusitsamit, 1, 9 (December-‐February 1918), p. 134. 366 King Vajiravudh, Phitwinai (Breaking the rule). Bangkok: Kurusabha, 1961. King Vajiravudh, Noi-‐inthasen…, pp. 161-‐ 366 King Vajiravudh, Phitwinai (Breaking the rule). Bangkok: Kurusabha, 1961. King Vajiravudh, Noi-‐inthasen…, pp. 161-‐ 201.
Although such misogynistic views and his homoeroticism shown in speeches and paramilitary training persisted throughout his reign, in writing stage plays, Varavudh’s
strong emphasis on male romantic friendships during wartime lasted only until 1914.367
Since 1915, it was replaced by the topic of heterosexual family, which mainly discussed about polygamy-‐monogamy in both original and indirect translated plays.
However, until 1919 all stage performances, though talking about love stories of women and men, were all acted by the male favorites. The actual change took place when Vajiravudh began his intimate relationships with women in 1920. The event
inspired a series of romantic love stories in his plays of 1920 to 1925.368 More
importantly, in 1920, Vajiravudh unprecedentedly had real women, his fiancée
Vallabhadhevi and his future wife Laksamilawan,369 playing on stage in the roles of the
heroines in his plays “Phongphang”(The fish’s trap, โพงพาง) and “Kon-‐taek”.370 The
year 1920 consequently witnessed a change in the Sixth Reign’s homosocial setting. Nevertheless, this is not to suggest that the throne’s “preference” had been replaced by heterosexual marriages. It reflects, instead, how the demise in June 1920 of Prince of Phitsanulok, the Heir Presumptive, influenced the King’s ideas to embark on intimate relationships with women in order to produce an heir to the throne, as one British Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ document indicated that “the importance of dynastic
considerations”371 was the reason for the engagement five month after the prince’s
decease.
The new step he took reflected his acceptance of the political significance of heterosexual relationships and his struggle to turn it into a tool for personal legitimacy. Moreover, Vajiravudh also realized that it was high time to show his fiancée to the
367 These types of stage plays appear in “Phuean-‐tai” (1912), “Huachai-‐nakrop”(1913) and “Kae-‐khaen”(1914). Later on the throne still presented male friendship in “Sia-‐sala”(1922) and “Huachai-‐chainum”(1922). However, the the throne still presented male friendship in “Sia-‐sala”(1922) and “Huachai-‐chainum”(1922). However, the homoeroticism is not the main theme when compared with the happy ending of the heterosexual couples.