Genji Classical Hero

Genji, the protagonist from Murasaki Shikibu’s novel The Tale of Genji, should be considered a classical hero. Although it can be contested whether or not, on the whole, Genji completely meets the standards of a classical hero, it is also important to consider that the novel was not written with Genji designed as a classical hero. That being said, when comparing the traits of a classical hero to the traits of Genji, there is significant overlap which leads to a strong argument in support of Genji being a classical hero. For the purposes of this paper, a classical hero will be defined as a person who stands others in their society as they exhibit exceptional qualities in areas that their culture values but these heroes also ultimately have a …show more content…
Even more so, Genji has a fatal flaw in his pursuit of true love which sees him get caught in an affair and exiled for a short period which again fits the description of a classical hero. Despite of all ot this, there area laos moments when Genji does not act like a classical hero specifically in his interactions with women and his unfilial actions. In considering all of the evidence, the conclusion that should be reached is that Genji is indeed a classical hero as in his story, he follows the path of a classical hero. When discussing a classical hero, one of hte most important ways they can be distinguished is through their exceptional abilities in areas which their society value. In this the novel, the most important things that men could do did not relate to statecraft or war but rather it was in art and beauty. In music, a form of art, Genji exhibited his phenomenal skills by playing the lute ata court affair. SIgnificantly, music in the Japanese court was important to many celebrations and affairs making Genji’s …show more content…
For when looking at a classical hero, the most important things are their exceptionalism and their fatal flaw which are both things that Genji has in the novel. This is evident all throughout the book, but it is no more obvious than when Genji’s brother, Prince Hotaru states that Genji's is “someone who seems to do everything well” (358). It is not as if Genji is self-absorbed and believes that his actions are great, but rather, Genji’s exceptionalism is demonstrated by the people around him and how they react to his skills. For like mentioned earlier, when Genji played music, the reader knows Genji is phenomenal at because it brought tears to people’s eyes, the novel makes it clear that Genji is not just an average man but there is something extraordinary about him. Then even more so, Genji had that fatal flaw which led to his downfall which is absolutely vital to the definition of a classical hero. Throughout the novel, despite the little things that Genji highlight areas in which Genji does not fit the the definition of a classical hero, on the whole Genni is depicted in a way that makes him a very good fit to the definition of a classical hero.Finally, the argument that a quest is key to a classical hero as it is integral to many Western stories of a classical hero,