Comparing Nagast, Ramayana, And Tale Of Genji

Love comes and goes naturally, sometimes unexpectedly. Although love is one broad subject, every individual has its own unique love story. Through the works of literature read in class, one thing that most of the novels had in common is love. From loving a family member to a person of interest, each type of love faces its own challenge. Three original works that clearly displays their own unique idea of love are Kebra Nagast, Ramayana, and Tale of Genji. In these three works love faces challenges such as lust, ambition, and jealousy. In Kebra Nagast, a story challenged by lust, King Solomon seduces the Queen of Sheba. The Queen of Sheba pays a visit to King Solomon after learning about his profound wisdom. “There, she is as enraptured by …show more content…
In this Novel “the perfect man”, Rama and his beloved faithful wife Sita seemed to be the perfect love story until the story takes a twist with the abduction of Rama’s wife, Sita. After Rama is exiled for fourteen years into the vast Dandaka forest, Sita follows. “Your gracious solicitude for my happiness only make my love for you more ardent, and my determination to follow you more firm”(Valmiki 1182). Sita being so in love with Rama does not think twice as to whether she should go with him or not. In the forest, Ravana approaches Sita disguised as a brahmana. Sita so willingly opens her doors and soon after he tries to seduce her. “You cannot win me by offering me power or wealth: for I am inseparable from Rama even as light from the sun” (Valmiki 1218). Sita being the loyal wife that she is avoids him making him even angrier and ends up abducting her. Finding out about Sita’s disappearance Rama is determined to do anything to find her and save her. While Sita was with Ravana, she remained faithful to her husband and not once did she let Ravana do anything to her. Rama eventually found Sita and battled Ravana winning the battle with a special bow and arrow from the gods. Dharma is a central concept in this love story. Rama living his entire life by the rules of dharma is confused as to why Sita was abducted and not protected. He believed to be the perfect son and later …show more content…
The Tale of Genji is like a classic soap opera and jealousy seems to be the main challenge. Genji is the son of the emperor and his favorite concubine, Kiritsubo. “Her favor with the emperor makes her a target of vicious rivalry among the emperor’s higher-ranking women” (Puchner 1156). Kiritsubo becomes envied by all of the other women who are of higher ranking. “The situation was even more vexing for the ladies of lower rank, since they knew his majesty would never bestow such affection and attention to them.” It was believed that people from a higher rank were superior and that those of the lower rank would never receive such attention from the emperor. In this case, the emperor fell in love with Kiritsubo and eventually had a child with her. Due to the jealousy of the other women, Kiritsubo dies leaving behind the child. The emperor later finds another concubine who reminds him of Kiritsubo but is of a higher rank. Genji not receiving the right status he deserves in court due to no representation also looks for his mother when looking for woman. “He [Genji] had no memory of his mother, and when he heard of the imperial household staff say that Fujitsubo looked just like her, his young heart ached with wistful longing–if only he could always be close to his father’s new consort!” (Shikibu 1166). He also ends us falling for Fujitsubo, his father’s new concubine. Throughout the whole story, the consorts were