Heloise comprised one half of the medieval world’s famous love story, and is remarkable among her contemporaries for her amazing intellect. Heloise’s life was shaped by her reliance and devotion to Abelard. Peter Abelard offered Heloise power through her opinions and her intellect, and that defined their relationship. The power she felt to exercise her opinions helped to form her identity, which was not aligned with the identity of other Christian women in France. While Heloise saw herself as a Christian, her opinions on marriage in relation to men and God were entirely different than her contemporaries because she valued personal connection and love, over objects and possessions. Heloise was raised in the convent that Abelard ultimately
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Their relationship blossomed in part to their extraordinary intellects. Abelard praised Heloise for her thoughts, and because of this Heloise felt like she owed something to Abelard. In the medieval world, the society dictated that women owed everything they had to their men. Yet in their relationship, Heloise was able to express her thoughts, opinions, and even critics of Abelard, all these are evident in her letters. Heloise benefitted from this because Abelard gave her the opportunity to be even more learned and to actually have intellectual dialogue, while he received the devoted support of a young, beautiful woman. Where Abelard, after becoming a monk, sees love as something for God , Heloise sees love as owing someone for providing support and pleasure. In Letter 2, Heloise mentions what he owes her and ends it with “farewell, my only …show more content…
“And a woman should realize that if she marries a rich man more readily than a poor one, and desires her husband more so for his possessions than for himself, she is offering herself for sale.” Medieval marriages were about bettering social class and continuing the family. Heloise disagrees with being called wife because she does not care about Abelard’s possessions; she cares about him. Most medieval women would rather have been in the protection of a man, but most would have preferred wife to concubine. Due to her opposing belief, Heloise stands out because love is bigger than titles. Heloise would rather marginalize herself further, by becoming a concubine or a whore, than be placed into a sacrament, marriage, that many saw only for the betterment of
Their relationship blossomed in part to their extraordinary intellects. Abelard praised Heloise for her thoughts, and because of this Heloise felt like she owed something to Abelard. In the medieval world, the society dictated that women owed everything they had to their men. Yet in their relationship, Heloise was able to express her thoughts, opinions, and even critics of Abelard, all these are evident in her letters. Heloise benefitted from this because Abelard gave her the opportunity to be even more learned and to actually have intellectual dialogue, while he received the devoted support of a young, beautiful woman. Where Abelard, after becoming a monk, sees love as something for God , Heloise sees love as owing someone for providing support and pleasure. In Letter 2, Heloise mentions what he owes her and ends it with “farewell, my only …show more content…
“And a woman should realize that if she marries a rich man more readily than a poor one, and desires her husband more so for his possessions than for himself, she is offering herself for sale.” Medieval marriages were about bettering social class and continuing the family. Heloise disagrees with being called wife because she does not care about Abelard’s possessions; she cares about him. Most medieval women would rather have been in the protection of a man, but most would have preferred wife to concubine. Due to her opposing belief, Heloise stands out because love is bigger than titles. Heloise would rather marginalize herself further, by becoming a concubine or a whore, than be placed into a sacrament, marriage, that many saw only for the betterment of