Punishment in Khun Chang Khun Phan

Acceptance and Negotiation of Power

Abstract

This articale aims to study punishment, which influenced acceptance and negotiation of power, in the Thai literature, Khun Chang Khun Phan. The study found that punishment in Khun Chang Khun Phan plays an important role in character and plot development, leading to turning points that further intensified the plot, including the alleviation of the characters' conflicts and problems. In Khun Chang Khun Phan, punishment can be of four types : confinement, imprisonment, banishment, and execution. The characters of Khun Chang Khun Phan had reactions against punishment as amicably accepting and negotiating for the reduction of the severity of punishment. Futhermore, convicts or prisoners in this literature had opportunities to show their competence so that thdy were released from convict status but later acknowledged them as war heroes.