Mitchell Guido

Complit101H

The Perfect Man


In both Virgils epic poem The Aeneid and in Murasaki Shikibus The Tale of
Genji, the main character depicts the ideal male figure. Virgil wrote The Aneid for the
Roman empire, to depict how men of the empire should act. There is no definitive
reason as to why Shikibu wrote The Tale of Genji, but it would seem that she also
wanted to depict how men should act in ancient Japan. Though these two authors
are trying to portray the same idea, the protagonists that these authors create in
their novels are wildly different from each other. This can be attributed to two
reasons: the culture that the books were written in and the perspectives of the
authors in these cultures.
When discussing masculinity, femininity, and gender roles, it is difficult to
prescribe certain actions to one or the other in modern culture. This is why these
two works must be viewed with a lens that incorporates not only the time period in
which the work was written, but also who the author was. For The Aeneid, it is clear
that Aeneas is masculine. At the time the epic poem was written, masculinity was
defined by brawn. A man who could beat another man with physical prowess was
considered to be a role model. Of course, the Roman Empire also appreciated those
that were smart, but often the intelligence of a smart Roman was utilized for war.
Since war was considered a mans job, anything associated with war was masculine.
Thus, Aeneas is truly masculine, as he is a warrior who leads other men and is
destined to create the city of Rome. In addition to his physical dexterity, he also has
an affair with a woman. At first glance it may seem as though these affair is looked
down upon, but in reality, it only becomes a problem after Aeneas stays with the
woman too long. Jupiter tells Mercury speak to the Trojan/Idling in Carthage. He
seems to have quite forgotten,/In his infatuation, the cities given him by fate (Book
IV 253- 255). Mercury has to remind Aeneas to leave Carthage not because Aeneas is
having an affair out of wedlock, but because Aeneas is spending too much time on
the affair. It seems that if Aeneas had only a brief relationship with Dido, nobody in
the epic poem would have chastised him. By staying with Dido, Aeneas is giving into
lust and perhaps the power of love, instead of staying true to his troops. In Roman
society, a true man always puts his soldiers and fellow men before love. This type
of machismo is almost in direct opposition to how Genji acts in The Tale of Genji.
In ancient Japan, when The Tale of Genji was written, masculinity was also
defined by a mans physical stature, as in the Roman Empire. However, there were
other factors that were used to judge men as well. Men should be able to appreciate
certain forms of art, such as poetry, in order to successfully court women. Since men
did not get to see women, but rather only poetry that a woman wrote in ancient
Japan, it was imperative that men can recognize good poetry. Genji is a protagonist
who is physically charming, intelligent and well versed in art. [Genji] was
handsomer than the crown princepeople began calling Genji the shining one
(Shikibu 22). Another description of Genji states He presented such a fine figure in
the morning light that the women of the place understood well enough why he
should be so universally admired (Shikibu 34). Interestingly, though, Genji is never
depicted in any scenes of violence or war. Instead, he is shown in political
discussions and romantic affairs. Though this could be attributed to Japanese
culture, it could also be attributed to the female author. The majority of The Tale of
Genji suspiciously leaves out war, which was a large part of Japanese society at the
time. Though the plot does sensibly allow for thissince Genji is a son of the
Emperor he would not have to serve in any sort of military unless he volunteered
it still seems odd. It is likely that since a woman wrote The Tale of Genji, she did not
want to focus on war, which was a mans duty in society. Instead, the focus of the
novel is on Genjis romances; following which women he chooses to court and how
he courts them. This focus, in comparison to The Aeneid, is decidedly feminine and
makes Genji entirely different from Aeneas. Genji chooses to court women and
continue supporting the women even after the romance is over. Aeneas, on the other
hand, abandons Dido immediately when the call to duty arises. More than this,
though, Genji makes illogical choices during his search for women. Instead of
looking for some sort of political marriage or favor as was the custom in ancient
Japan, it seems that Genji is genuinely searching for love, or some sort of mono no
aware (in the sense of a fleeting beautiful relationship). Genji decides to pursue
Evening Faces simply because She is very beautiful. She seemed lost in thought,
and the women around her were weeping (Shikibu 34). This immediate interest in
Evening Faces due to her personalitywhatever it may berather than her status
in society is against custom. This acute sense of passion and desire, though, is what
makes Genji a perfect man in The Tale of Genji. Instead of conforming to society,
Genji creates his own path that allows him to search for love as he takes
responsibility for his actions. While Aeneas renounces his lust, and possibly love, for
the sake of his men and society, Genji ignores the customs of his society in search of
love.
Aeneas, from The Aeneid, and Genji from The Tale of Genji are both models of
perfect men in their respective societies. Compared side by side, though, these two
men are almost exact opposites of each other. The reason for this discrepancy in
beliefs is due not only to the differences in ancient Roman and ancient Japanese
culture, but also due to the different authors perspectives. Thus, it seems that the
perfect man is not an entity that exists universally in ever culture, but rather as a
different set of characteristics for each culture and time period.

Work Cited

Shikibu, Murasaki, Edward Seidensticker, and Shunsh Yamamoto. The Tale of Genji.
New York, NY: Random House, 1985. Print.

Virgil. The Aeneid. Trans. Stanley Lombardo. Indianapolis: Hackett, 2005. Print.