The two primary sources we are dealing with are both undoubtedly written from the point of view of the two protagonists of this affair, Abelard and Heloise. The two sources, both of which are in letter form, deal with the cloistered lovers and their correspondents. The presentation of both sources side by side make it possible for us to objectively judge the affair from the point of view of both the lovers. The first primary source is addressed to an unknown friend, however, the piece comes across as an autobiographical work giving a very personal account of Abelard’s seduction and subsequent love affair with Heloise. Similarly, the second primary source is also in letter form. However, unlike the first source, the recipient of this letter …show more content…
However, the common consensus among historians weigh in favour of their authenticity. It is noteworthy to mention Abelard’s apparent silence in his account of Heloise’s arguments for ‘preferring love to wedlock and freedom to chains,’ as stated by Heloise in her account. However, this discrepancy is not significant enough to taint the credibility of the rest of his account. Also, it is Abelard who presents us with all this damnable information on himself and thus makes it unlikely he is trying to perceive us with false information. If the story was told in an attempt to exculpate himself from blame no one could have done it better than Abelard himself. Therefore, both accounts appear to be …show more content…
Abelard is self-driven and he initially he portrays himself as an arrogant, cold hearted man who ranks himself above all others. Abelard’s language is crude at times and his calculated and tactical plan to seduce Heloise is unfolded before the reader in this extract from Historia Calamitatum. The pursuit of Heloise from Abelard’s point of view was motivated solely by lust, an opportunity too convenient to let pass it. However, a change in Abelard is apparent after his seduction of Heloise and his language begins to mirror that of Heloise’s in the second account. The once cold, calculating man has been conquered by the forces of passion and romance. Similarly, a lot can be learned about Heloise from her letter to Abelard. From the reading of both extracts strong comparisons between the nature of the pair can be made. While Abelard appears to be extremely self-revolved, for Heloise, her sole purpose in life appears to be the acquisition of Abelard’s person glory. She is extremely self-aware and can be seen to be interrogating herself and her intentions. She welcomes the loss of her identity in her love for Abelard, openly admitting his actions or inactions to be the sole controller of her emotions. She is entirely infatuated by Abelard, praising him immensely in every aspect of his life. From her account there is no evidence to suggest she ever offered any signs of resistance to Abelard’s initial seduction but
Similarly, Emily doesn’t fully understand the love that she shares with her father, and it leads her to dangerous encounters. In the Cabral and de Leon families, violent love is the only love they know. Abelard, who was an extremely intelligent man, wasn’t smart enough to avoid the tragedy of love and violence. Beginning with Abelard and ending with Oscar, the only love the family could relate to was one that included violence. In Abelard’s case, he was protecting his daughters out of the love he had for them.
Lawrence creates a sarcastic tone throughout his essay to exhibit Hester’s iniquitous behavior. He utilizes the biblical story of Cain and Abel to describe how “this time it is Mr. Dimmesdale who dies [while Hester] lives on and is Abel” (Lawrence). Lawrence mocks Hawthorne’s depiction of Hester by calling her Abel, which is ironic because Abel was the victim of the story. The sarcastic tone portrays Hester as a complete divergence to Abel, who was faithful to God and trustworthy. This tone also urges the readers to examine Hester and conclude that she goes not have these morally good characteristics like faithfulness and trustworthiness. Lawrence claims that placing Prynne on the scaffolding and exploiting her sins will “[become] a farce” (Lawrence). His mocking tone underscores the severity of adultery, which Hawthorne falsely describes Hester’s transgression as a “farce”. Lawrence’s use of sarcasm implies that her sins were substantial and grave. This conveys to the readers that Hester is a deplorable character and was portrayed wrongly by
Initially, there is an underlying struggle of duty verses love. Both families of the “star-crossed lovers”, especially the Capulets, focus on a successful marriage having an emphasis on d...
Hester is indeed a sinner, adultery is no light matter, even today. On the other hand, her sin has brought her not evil, but good. Her charity to the poor, her comfort to the broken-hearted, her unquestionable presence in times of trouble are all direct results of her quest for repe...
Abelard was a well-known figure of the twelfth century that taught dialectic philosophy. Abelard was in his late thirties when he first met Heloise in Paris. And it was her knowledge and gift for writing letters, which was so rare in women at the times that attracted Abelard to her. Heloise was the niece of one of the Cannons. She was about seventeen when she met Abelard; this was not considered a big deal for back then it was pretty common to have big age difference in marriages. Heloise was considered atypical because women were rarely educated at all back then. She was strong willed and she had a pretty good sense of logic and this is what brought them together. Heloise struck a deal with Heloise's uncle to educate her and gained full access to her pleasures. Their relationship encompassed the maximum in personal freedom. "Her studies allowed us to withdraw in private, as love desired and then with our books open before us, more words of our love than of our reading passed between us, and more kissing than teaching. (Radice 67). Later Heloise became pregnant and Abelard could not successfully sidestep the rules of the society because the society of a time just wouldn't accept a premarital sexual affair.
...ifestyle of the relationship between Abelard and Heloise. If the two were truly in love, then they would fight to stay together rather than give up themselves to a higher being or to what society was asking for in the way of how a relationship should be defined religiously. If Abelard and Heloise were truly in love, even the Church would be unable to separate the two.
She then moves on to be a gracious host to all of these men, again showing success in her womanly duties. Later that night one of the visitors, Sextus Tarquinis, comes into her room, and forces himself upon her, telling her that if she does not comply he will make it look like she had an affair with one of the servants (Livy, 101). She yields to him because she does not want it to seem as if she had an affair and is not able to explain what occurred.... ... middle of paper ...
One of Hester’s greatest qualities is her unrelenting selflessness. Despite her constant mental anguish due to her sin, the constant stares and rude comments, and the
Romance can be defined as a medieval form of narrative which relates tales of chivalry and courtly love. Its heroes, usually knights, are idealized and the plot often contains miraculous or superatural elements. According to Tony Davenport the central medieval sense of romance is ' of narratives of chivalry, in which knights fight for honour and love.' The term amour coutois ( courtly love) was coined by the French critic Gaston Paris in 1883 to categorise what medieval French lyricists or troubadours referred to as ' fin armors'. Romances and lyrics began to develop in the late fourteenth century England, author like Chaucer or Hoccleve produced some of the first english medieval narratives. But how does medieval literature present the expericence of romantic love. In order to answer this question this essay will focus on two tales from Chaucer's Canterbury Tales: the Knight's Tales and the Franklin's Tales. It will show that medieval romance can be used as a vehicle to promote chivalric behaviour as well as exploring a range of philosophical, political, and literary question.
Heloise impressed Abelard with her knowledge of broad topics, which she was widely known for. Their love affair threatened to embarrass Abelard, and when Fulbert discovered their affair, they separated and met secretly. However, Heloise became pregnant with Astralabe, their son. Abelard married Heloise in secret. Fulbert revealed the marriage but Heloise denied it, then Abelard demands Heloise to turn nun, in order that no other may know the attractions he has enjoyed.
The relationship shared by Pierre and Helene is best described as a lustful charade. It is no coincidence that Pierre, one of the most introspective characters in the novel, first marries a shallow, inwardly-ugly adulterer. His first recorded attitude towards Helene is one of admira...
Hester’s principal qualities of strength and honesty are revealed throughout the novel. Her strength is seen in her actions after her sin is revealed. Foremost, she thinks of her adultery as an act committed out of passion and denies the belief that man’s nature is corrupt
The story begins with the Marquise de Merteuil corresponding with Vicomte de Valmont regarding a luscious new act of ‘revenge’, as she describes it, against the Comte de Gercourt. The young Cecile de Volanges has just come home from the convent and her marriage to Gercourt has been arranged. However, before he can wed the innocent child, Merteuil proposes Valmont ‘educate’ her, thus spoiling Gercourt’s fancy for untarnished convent girls. Valmont is uninterested in such an easy seduction and is far more aroused by the thought of lulling The Presidente’ de Tourvel, the very epitome of virtue, into submission. And so the tale unfolds.
Basically, the essay itself uses multiple allusions to evaluate Hester by comparing her situation in the novel to past references in history or tales. For example, Lawrence analyzes the powers of Hester’s seduction by saying “Seduce me, Mrs. Hercules” (Line 15). This is an allusion to Hercules, a powerful mythical Roman demigod. Lawrence criticizes Hester for having seductive powers that are greater than or equal to the powers of a Roman demigod. He blames Hester for the situation she gets into because of how uncontrollably seductive she characteristically is.
One of the main symbols in Lawrence’s short story is Hester. She is the mother of Paul and both are main characters. Hester is a good representation of greed, selfishness and being materialistic. She values money more than her children “She had bonny children, yet she felt they had been thrust upon her, and she could not love them” (Lawrence, 295). Hester is not capable of creating...