The Emperor is the first character that appears in the story and as an introduction of the story. His life is exposed to describe the circumstance of court
and marriage life which is bounding to the next generation continuously. Next is Genji. He is chosen to be another character that is presented as the comparison of
The Emperor‘s, in term of their characteristics, since Genji‘s success on keeping his marriage life in peace. Both describe journey of marriage life in different path,
one as an Emperor and the other as a commoner of aristocrat. Eventhough they have different social status, at the end, the problem that they have to deal with is
same. They have to face the society hierarchy and its circumstances. The important characters are not only from its main characters, but it also
involves some minor characters. Here, the wives of the emperor and Genji will also take a role in order to reveal the marriage life of the story. Similar with the
emperor and Genji, the character of the wives and the way they deal with their own marriage might give some clue and description of marriage life in the novel.
In this part, both characters are put together to be used to help the writer to reveal the description about a reflection of aristocratic marriage life in the novel. Here
are the description about the characters‘ characteristics and its relation to their marriage life:
1. The Description of the Emperor’s Character in Correlation to his
Marriage
The story of The Tale of Genji begins with description of The Emperor‘s
life along with some wives who have important role in his life. By their appearance in the story, The first one mentioned is his beloved Lady Kiritsubo
who is only a concubine due to her low rank. Eventhough she makes the first appearance, but she is not the first wife. The second one mentioned is Lady
Kokiden who noticed as the first wife of the Emperor officialprincipal wife because of her highest rank among the other ladies. And then the last one
mentioned is Lady Fujitsubo who is courted last and chosen as the empress by the Emperor. Besides those three ladies, the Emperor still has many more concubines,
but those three are the ladies that take important role in Emperor‘s life and in the story.
The Emperor, the man who ruled the whole land, He has the highest power to control everything in his territory. It is his duty to take control on all aspects
which are influencing his land and its society. For example, some aspects that are highlighted in the story such as economic stability, social hierarchy that prevails
in its society and political flow in the Court are the major aspects that described as some matter that need full attention and sp
end lot of emperor‘s time. That is why as an emperor, he cannot do all controlling by himself. He must have some people
who help him in controlling the land and its society, such as minister of the left who is also the emperor‘s sponsor and minister of the right, his father-in-law who
works as the political opponent of minister of the left. Therefore some decision related to the land necessity, cannot be done technically without the ministers
endorsement. A man of an imperial line blood who is chosen to be an emperor and get
his hands controlling the whole land, such an enormous power for an imperial descendant can achieve. With that great title he has and the society‘s trust that an
emperor shall bring prosperity to the country, many court people want to get close to him. Some noblemen just want to serve him and prove their loyalty while some
other try to gain their wealth and political influence. Facing that kind of situation, ideally, an emperor shall know every court circumstance and situation. He has to
work on that matter with strategy so that he can avoid on violating the court circumstance. On the other hand, in the story, the emperor‘s described as a one
who is ignorant, rather unrealistic, and driven easily by emotional feeling. Those personal qualities can be seen in emperor‘s life, in the way he react and decide a
way out of his matter. Those qualities are implied in his marriage life where the emperor cannot lead his own marriage into a secure and happy marriage life. Later
in contrast with Genji‘s qualities, the personal qualities of the emperor can be seen more clearly as the reason of his failure to keep his marriage life‘s peace.
In the court, The Emperor lives with his wife and all of his concubines. As an emperor, he has some privileges. He has an opportunity to be with the lady he
likes the most. He is free to choose the lady to become his wife and his empress. Eventhough it is called a privilege, but still it is bounded by some court
circumstances. For example is court circumstance that gives limitation on the criteria of the lady who can be chosen as a wife and empress. It happens due to the
prevailing system of rank in the aristocrat society. At the court of an Emperor he lived no matters not when there was
among the gentlewomen of the Wardrobe and Chamber one, who though she was not of very high rank was favored far beyond all the rest; so that
the great ladies of the palace, each of whom had secretly hoped that she herself would be chosen, looked with scorn and hatred upon the upstart
who had dispelled their dreams.
unfortunately she was not of the same rank as the courtiers who waited upon him in the Upper Palace, so that despite his love for her, and though
she wore all the airs of a great lady, it was not without considerable qualms that he now made it his practice to have her by him not only when
there was to be some entertainment, but even when any business of importance was afoot.
The emperor could no longer endure to witness her vexations and moved her to the Koroden. In order to make room for her he was obliged to shift
the Chief Lady of the Wardrobe to lodgings outside. So far from improving matters he had merely procured her a new and most embittered
enemy Shikibu, 2010: 4-6
Lady Kiritsubo, the favored lady who described in the quotation above, is one of The Emperor wives who obtains predicate only as a concubine because of
her low rank and lack of sponsor. The quotation describes the emperor act of giving overflowing love to just one lady he really loved. He gives all his love and
full attention toward Lady Kiritsubo. In a glimpse, it sounds like he is being unfair. But if it is analyzed carefully, it cannot be seen as an unfair act because he has his
own privilege to stay with the lady he likes. The fact that that man is an emperor cannot be excluded. To be noted, not all his marriages are his will, some of his
marriages are just an arranged marriages as symbol of a unity between an emperor and his sponsor or politic partner. Besides, he has absolute power to rule and gives
order, so that it can be understood if he acts that way to Lady Kiritsubo. In the same time, from the description in the quotation abo
ut the Emperor‘s action when he continuously practicing with Lady Kiritsubo to prepare her to be a lady-in-
waiting eventhough he knows all of the competitiveness growing within his ladies quarter about to be the chosen one, it gives the impression of the E
mperor‘s ignorant toward surrounding. The peak of his ignorant is shown from his decision
to make room for unfortunate Lady Kiritsubo by shifting the Chief Lady of the
Wardrobe to lodgings outside. Instead of secure the lady, it‘s more like his action gain her more enemy who will join to treat her badly. Here then Lady Kokiden
also take her role. …she had, after all, priority over her rival; the Emperor had loved her
devotedly and she had borne him princes. It was even now chiefly the fear of her reproaches that made him uneasy about his new way of life.
Shikibu, 2010: 5
The quotation above refers to Lady Kokiden, the principal wife of the Emperor due to highest rank she has as a daughter of the Minister of the Right,
whom the political power is in the second place, right under the Emperor. This is a clue which is conducting the idea that the Emperor is being unrealistic. The
Emperor who already knew the condition of her beloved lady who has low rank and with all reproaches from his principal wife, Lady Kokiden, he still pours her
with his strong affection and his full attention. He is unrealistic enough to exclude all the rejection from Kokiden from his mind which make all Kiritsubo‘s miseries
worser day by day. Then he is even trying to make lady Kiritsuboto get the chance to be admitted as a wife rather than a concubine by preparing her to be a lady-in-
waiting. Theoretically, it is possible for an emperor to raise one‘s rank, but it has to go through court‘s endorsement. In Lady Kiritsubo‘s case, the emperor‘s
founded become unrealistic person she has the lowest rank than the rest concubines, which will take a long time and long process to raise her rank, while
for the time being she is been bullied by the other ladies and fading in a fast pace. When these comings and goings became frequent beyond measure, it
would happen that on the bridges and in corridors, here or there along the way that she must go, strange tricks were played to frighten her or
unpleasant things were left lying about which spoiled the dresses. Shikibu, 2010: 5
A daily life which is full of corrupt competitiveness grows intensely within the ladies, while the Emperor‘s driven by his emotion easily. Lady Kokiden who is
filled with jealousy of the emperor‘s love for Kiritsubo, Sheledmost of the malice deeds toward the unfortunate lady. Many bad things are done upon Lady
Kiritsubo. The Emperor cannot do something to help his beloved Lady. For now, what he can do is just waiting for the announcement from the court for he had
increase the rank of Lady Kiritsubo not for long ago, butit is too late. The lovely lady Kiritsubo‘s already sinking in her own great distress. Then, not for a long
time, her condition becomes worse and at last, she meets her death. If only he is not blinded by his affection and take consideration of
surrounding and circumstance that his wives have to go through, his marriage will not get a tragic end. It‘s his own personal quality for being ignorant, unrealistic,
and easy to be driven by emotional feeling that turns his marriage into a sad, full of miseries and violent marriage life, which is ended with the beloved lady‘s death.
2. The Description of Genjis Character and Marriages in Relation to their
