Abstract: As an important branch of the ballads of the Goryeo Dynasty, love ballads are known for the presentation of women’s ethical predicament and ethical choices in the patriarchal society. Faced with leaving or the long absence of their lovers, the heroines’ choice is to beg for their stay which, more often than not, turns out to be futile. Unable to find the solution to their predicament, they choose to accept tragic reality with endurance and perseverance. The love ballads—although the term of love elegy might be more appropriate-- represent the social tragedy of women in the Goryeo Dynasty. What is worth mentioning is that the ethical predicament and ethical choices convey a strong sense of “resentment”, a unique feature of the cultural psychology among the Korean people, and instills a special ethical value and aesthetic implication into the love ballads.

Key words: Goryeo Love Ballads, ethical predicament, ethical choices