Romantic love is a significant theme in Marie de France’s Lay of Lanval and The Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu. Both novels center on the romance of courtly love, however, Lanval concentrates on the love for one lady, while The Tale of Genji is a search for the perfect lady. Lanval’s acts of love are honor and secrecy, until the queen angers him into spilling the secret of his true love. Since the beginning of time, men and women have committed many different acts in the name of love.
Lanval is a knight of King Arthur’s court and possesses considerable qualities such as handsomeness, honor and royal blood, because of this he is envied by the other knights. This envy is unmistakable in his standing in Arthur’s court. Arthur never grants Lanval lands or money despite that he is a loyal knight to the king. As he was the son of a king from a land far away …show more content…
When he becomes enamored of Muraski and he fails to convince her family to let him live with her, he kidnaps her and keeps her prisoner. Genji sees Murasaki as “the perfect companion, a toy for him to play with” (Shikibu). Years later he marries her, and she is given no say.
While Genji seems selfish and without feeling, he did continue to care for his women even after his interest had waned. Genji says,
“Even if you have lost all affection for the lady herself, you may perhaps feel that for the sake of her parents you ought to make one more effort…. Or even if she has no parents or other supporters to whom you are under an obligation, you will very likely find on reflection that she has some small trick of speech or manner that still attracts you. It will in the end possibly be best both for you and for her if you can keep things going even in the most precarious way” (Shikibu).
Because of this admirable act of taking care of the women he no longer wanted, it might be said that Gengi is a hero. This might be called a heroic act in the name of
Lanval is a knight of King Arthur’s court and possesses considerable qualities such as handsomeness, honor and royal blood, because of this he is envied by the other knights. This envy is unmistakable in his standing in Arthur’s court. Arthur never grants Lanval lands or money despite that he is a loyal knight to the king. As he was the son of a king from a land far away …show more content…
When he becomes enamored of Muraski and he fails to convince her family to let him live with her, he kidnaps her and keeps her prisoner. Genji sees Murasaki as “the perfect companion, a toy for him to play with” (Shikibu). Years later he marries her, and she is given no say.
While Genji seems selfish and without feeling, he did continue to care for his women even after his interest had waned. Genji says,
“Even if you have lost all affection for the lady herself, you may perhaps feel that for the sake of her parents you ought to make one more effort…. Or even if she has no parents or other supporters to whom you are under an obligation, you will very likely find on reflection that she has some small trick of speech or manner that still attracts you. It will in the end possibly be best both for you and for her if you can keep things going even in the most precarious way” (Shikibu).
Because of this admirable act of taking care of the women he no longer wanted, it might be said that Gengi is a hero. This might be called a heroic act in the name of