Genji And Aeneas As Heroes Essay

Heroes are typically men, are of high status, and accomplish something that is seen as admirable. But what qualifies as something admirable is based on the context of the hero, including what time period the hero is from and what country or city the hero is living in. In both the Tale of Genji and The Essential Aeneid, the hero’s status is context-specific and this is seen throughout both texts. Murasaki Shikibu and Virgil portray Genji and Aeneas as heroes by highlighting their physical attributes, skills, and their charisma.
Both Genji and Aeneas have physical attributes that distinguish them as heroes. In Genji’s time, it is very important for a man of his rank and position to be very beautiful. Since his country is not at war, there is …show more content…
Aeneas is able to successfully lead his army of Trojans, as seen when he “spoke to his men to ease their hearts” and remind them of how much they have suffered through already, but to look on the bright side. Even though Aeneas himself “was sick with worry, he put on a good face and push his anguish deep into his heart,” (Virgil, 7). Aeneas also was able to win over the heart of Dido, as when she meets him, Dido became obsessed with Aeneas and wanted so badly to listen to him talk. She continually asked Aeneas questions about his story, as she “asked about Priam over and over, asked much about Hector, wanted to know what armor Memnon wore when he arrived,” and then asked Aeneas to retell his whole story (Virgil, 25). This, however, leads to Dido becoming overly obsessed with Aeneas, as “thoughts of Aeneas… flood her mind, his face and words transfix her heart, and her desire gives her no rest” (Virgil, 52). This obsession gets in the way of Aeneas’ obligations, as Dido holds Aeneas in Carthage longer than he needs to be and tries to convince Aeneas to stay in Carthage, as Dido tells Aeneas, “I beg you, please change your mind,” (Virgil, 62). Eventually, though, Aeneas is able to pull himself, with some help from the gods, and his army back together and leave Carthage to help found …show more content…
Murasaki and Virgil distinctly make Genji and Aeneas stand out from other characters by highlighting their physical attributes, as Genji is extremely beautiful in comparison to the other men in the court and Aeneas is a strong leader and a strong fighter for his army. It is also evident that Genji and Aeneas are described as heroes from their skillsets, as Genji has many skills, such as music and dancing, that he is very talented in and Aeneas is a great leader and tactician. Lastly, Genji and Aeneas are written as heroes because their charisma attracts many people to them. Both of these characters are written distinctly as heroes, but their heroic traits are very different, as they are specific to the context of each