Gender Roles in "Abelard and Heloise"
Although at times both Abelard and Heloise espouse philosophical ideas which seem progressive, or more egalitarian, than typical medieval ideas about gender, both of them fill their respective gender roles with negligible deviation from accepted social norms. There are a few irregular instances in which they deviate slightly from typical gendered behavior. They talk about how people, women especially, should act and be thought about in society, but there is no evidence within the letters that they actually ever take action upon this within society. Therefore, neither Heloise nor Abelard is actually remarkable, from a gendered behavior perspective, for educated persons of their time. This can be best illustrated by looking at how each respectively deviates from and conforms to medieval ideals for men and for women.
In the case of Abelard, his deviations from acceptable behavior for Twelfth century men are initially misleading. Although his writings exhibit a surprising respect for the value of women, their capabilities and intellectual capacity, the source of his beliefs are based in typical medieval thinking about gender. He discusses the superior connection women have with Christ, and the greatness which this connection implies, but it is based on women being more closely tied with the earth, unlike men’s closer connection to the spiritual.1 Specifically, he cites St. Ambrose’s observations of “the paradox that women, the inferior sex, was made within paradise, whereas men, the better part, was made outside” to make the case for women’s closer ties to God. Another major point of Abelard’s admiration for women comes from his opinion that “the virtue of women is more pleasing to [God] because their nature is weaker.”2 In other words, women have a more difficult time living up to a virtuous life and the expectations of Christ than men because they are of a less spiritually inclined nature. Both of Abelard’s pieces of rhetorical evidence of women depend upon the typical medieval assumption of women being the “weaker sex”, and any positive conclusions are dependent upon women overcoming an assumed inherent disadvantage. Therefore, it cannot be said that his point of view was any different from his contemporaries, but merely that he used the same initial assumptions to come to slightly different conclusions.
Abelard also deviates from the masculine by his unphysical nature. That is to say, he is not a soldier, nor does he show any particular inclination towards any physical activities. Although this might seem to be breaking the typical male role, upon closer consideration Abelard fits in wholly with his mainstream society. Although it is arguable that he was stretching gender norms before becoming a Church official, by leading a purely academic and non-military life, when he joined the monastery he left the ranks of “those who fight” for “those who pray”.3 It is because of this social stratification that he fits into normal social and gender roles.
He more consistently fits gender roles than stretches them. Perhaps most strikingly, Abelard has a sexual appetite which cannot be quenched until he is castrated.4 This sort of sexual virulence is expected of men, and although it is considered sinful, it is also thought of as how a real man is driven.5 Abelard’s honorable actions and loyalty to authority also mark him as a man who fits in with masculine roles of his time. He is very concerned with making up for his transgression against Christ, and also how others live their lives in according to this standard.6 This sort of behavior befits a man who is driven by the proper values of honor and piety, which are masculine traits, and fits Abelard squarely in a conventional male gender role. Finally, he consistently responds to Heloise’s emotional and dramatic letters with logical and unemotional arguments.7 This sort of unemotional approach is consistent with medieval views about how women and men think about and respond to life.8
Finally, Abelard is consistent with a man’s expected in his relationship to Heloise. Although he professes to be her husband only after Christ, he still acts in such an authoritarian manner towards her.9 The way Heloise addresses her letters is the first indication of the continuing nature of their relationship. She begins numerous letters expressing this sentiment by calling him “specially hers” and herself “singularly his”, her lord, her father, and “her only one after Christ”.10 Despite denying this relationship, by always referring to her as “the bride of Christ” and a “sister in Christ” he acts as a strict ruler to Heloise.11 Much as the way that he says a father should act, “strike to correct”, Abelard is firm about redirecting, admonishing, stand correcting Heloise’s conversations with him throughout the letters.12 This authoritarian nature to their relationship is wholly consistent with typical male-female roles of the time.
At first it may seem that Heloise tests this boundary through her challenging of Abelard’s knowledge and precise arguments for her opinions, but inevitably she seems to accept his conclusions, by not further challenging them, and repeatedly seeks his counsel, opinion, and approval on a multitude of subjects.13 She acts as a devoted, submissive wife in her responses throughout the letters, which befit a good wife, to the point of taking religious vows.14 Another aspect of Heloise’s character which may seem like a deviation from what was expected from a woman is her intellectualism. This would be a misconception, though. Although women were considered the “weaker sex” in the Twelfth century, this did not necessarily imply a lesser ability in academics, nor was an intelligent woman derided as masculine.15 Abelard himself quotes an adage which says that “an intelligent wife is a gift from the Lord”, which reflects an appreciation for learned women.16 Additionally, women in recent centuries were more traditionally associated with literacy, since outside the clergy they were the people who had the time to learn their letters.17
Perhaps the most striking departure from gender expectations is Heloise’s sexual appetite. Although she couches it is sentiments of love and devotion to her husband, she does not show the kind of reproach for their passions as Abelard does, and merely regrets that they were punished for their actions, not the actions themselves.18 This sort of attitude towards sex both meets and contradicts with certain expectations of women by her contemporaries. On the one hand, women were expected to be chaste for both her God and her husband.19 Simultaneously, women were thought to be “rash”, more emotional than men, and also weaker against resisting most types of temptation.20
Heloise exhibits much more conventional behavior than irregular behavior. Her most “feminine” trait is that of her “natural compassion”, which was considered endemic to women.21 She shows this compassion in her worrying over Abelard’s well-being and most distinctly in her ability to guide the sisters under her, which Abelard insists that she is much more successful at it than he with his monks.22 Her lustful sexual nature also conforms to medieval ideas about gender, because it is an indication of her weaker nature. Although she is not plagued by what Abelard calls a “[bodily] part of shame”, which is the source of male lust, she is more easily seduced by evil.23
Heloise conforms to a woman’s role best in her devotion to Abelard, as a wife, and her utter submissiveness to him.24 She herself says that she has and would do anything for him, that she “changed [her]… mind, in order to prove [him] the sole possessor of my body and my will alike.”25 It is this devotion, as extolled by Abelard in letter three, that truly fits Heloise into the gender role of a woman.26 Unlike men, the expectations of womanhood were broader, and as such, most of Heloise’s behavior easily fits into the expected, if not praiseworthy, female gender role.27 Despite a comparably narrower definition of manhood, Abelard also lives up to the expectations of his gender.
Bibliography
Radice, Betty: translator. The Letters of Abelard and Heloise. New York: Penguin
Classics, 2003.
Rosenwein, Barbara. A Short History of the Middle Ages. New York: Broadview Press,
2004.
Footnotes
1 Betty Radice. The Letters of Abelard and Heloise. 122, 118,
2 Radice, 121
3 Lindgren, 1/06
4 Radice, 80-82
5 Radice, 82, 83
6 Radice, 82.
7 Radice, 56, 72.
8 Radice, 117; Heloise refers to “women’s rashness”, which implies an impulsive nature, p. 99.
9 Radice, 72; This is evidenced by his addressing his letter “to the bride of Christ, from His servant” and Heloise addressing another of her letters
10 Radice, 47, 63, 93.
11 Radice, 56, 72.
12 Radice, 87.
13 Radice, 53, 66, 71, 93-111.
14 Radice, 52; Heloise makes it quite clear that she only joined the religious order because Abelard wished her to by calling it “[his] decision alone”.
15 Radice, 59-61. Barbara Rosenwein, A Short History of the Middle Ages 124, 229.
16 Radice, 60.
17 Rosenwein, 268
18 Radice, 51, 67, 80-82
19 Radice, 122. Abelard, while discussing the value of a woman’s virginity, quotes Pelagius that “a adulteress against Christ is more guilty than one against her husband”.
20 Radice, 99.
21 Radice, 122.
22 Radice, 57.
23 Radice, 82.
24 Rosenwein, 239
25 Radice, 51.
26 Radice, 60.
27 Radice, 118.
In the case of Abelard, his deviations from acceptable behavior for Twelfth century men are initially misleading. Although his writings exhibit a surprising respect for the value of women, their capabilities and intellectual capacity, the source of his beliefs are based in typical medieval thinking about gender. He discusses the superior connection women have with Christ, and the greatness which this connection implies, but it is based on women being more closely tied with the earth, unlike men’s closer connection to the spiritual.1 Specifically, he cites St. Ambrose’s observations of “the paradox that women, the inferior sex, was made within paradise, whereas men, the better part, was made outside” to make the case for women’s closer ties to God. Another major point of Abelard’s admiration for women comes from his opinion that “the virtue of women is more pleasing to [God] because their nature is weaker.”2 In other words, women have a more difficult time living up to a virtuous life and the expectations of Christ than men because they are of a less spiritually inclined nature. Both of Abelard’s pieces of rhetorical evidence of women depend upon the typical medieval assumption of women being the “weaker sex”, and any positive conclusions are dependent upon women overcoming an assumed inherent disadvantage. Therefore, it cannot be said that his point of view was any different from his contemporaries, but merely that he used the same initial assumptions to come to slightly different conclusions.
Abelard also deviates from the masculine by his unphysical nature. That is to say, he is not a soldier, nor does he show any particular inclination towards any physical activities. Although this might seem to be breaking the typical male role, upon closer consideration Abelard fits in wholly with his mainstream society. Although it is arguable that he was stretching gender norms before becoming a Church official, by leading a purely academic and non-military life, when he joined the monastery he left the ranks of “those who fight” for “those who pray”.3 It is because of this social stratification that he fits into normal social and gender roles.
He more consistently fits gender roles than stretches them. Perhaps most strikingly, Abelard has a sexual appetite which cannot be quenched until he is castrated.4 This sort of sexual virulence is expected of men, and although it is considered sinful, it is also thought of as how a real man is driven.5 Abelard’s honorable actions and loyalty to authority also mark him as a man who fits in with masculine roles of his time. He is very concerned with making up for his transgression against Christ, and also how others live their lives in according to this standard.6 This sort of behavior befits a man who is driven by the proper values of honor and piety, which are masculine traits, and fits Abelard squarely in a conventional male gender role. Finally, he consistently responds to Heloise’s emotional and dramatic letters with logical and unemotional arguments.7 This sort of unemotional approach is consistent with medieval views about how women and men think about and respond to life.8
Finally, Abelard is consistent with a man’s expected in his relationship to Heloise. Although he professes to be her husband only after Christ, he still acts in such an authoritarian manner towards her.9 The way Heloise addresses her letters is the first indication of the continuing nature of their relationship. She begins numerous letters expressing this sentiment by calling him “specially hers” and herself “singularly his”, her lord, her father, and “her only one after Christ”.10 Despite denying this relationship, by always referring to her as “the bride of Christ” and a “sister in Christ” he acts as a strict ruler to Heloise.11 Much as the way that he says a father should act, “strike to correct”, Abelard is firm about redirecting, admonishing, stand correcting Heloise’s conversations with him throughout the letters.12 This authoritarian nature to their relationship is wholly consistent with typical male-female roles of the time.
At first it may seem that Heloise tests this boundary through her challenging of Abelard’s knowledge and precise arguments for her opinions, but inevitably she seems to accept his conclusions, by not further challenging them, and repeatedly seeks his counsel, opinion, and approval on a multitude of subjects.13 She acts as a devoted, submissive wife in her responses throughout the letters, which befit a good wife, to the point of taking religious vows.14 Another aspect of Heloise’s character which may seem like a deviation from what was expected from a woman is her intellectualism. This would be a misconception, though. Although women were considered the “weaker sex” in the Twelfth century, this did not necessarily imply a lesser ability in academics, nor was an intelligent woman derided as masculine.15 Abelard himself quotes an adage which says that “an intelligent wife is a gift from the Lord”, which reflects an appreciation for learned women.16 Additionally, women in recent centuries were more traditionally associated with literacy, since outside the clergy they were the people who had the time to learn their letters.17
Perhaps the most striking departure from gender expectations is Heloise’s sexual appetite. Although she couches it is sentiments of love and devotion to her husband, she does not show the kind of reproach for their passions as Abelard does, and merely regrets that they were punished for their actions, not the actions themselves.18 This sort of attitude towards sex both meets and contradicts with certain expectations of women by her contemporaries. On the one hand, women were expected to be chaste for both her God and her husband.19 Simultaneously, women were thought to be “rash”, more emotional than men, and also weaker against resisting most types of temptation.20
Heloise exhibits much more conventional behavior than irregular behavior. Her most “feminine” trait is that of her “natural compassion”, which was considered endemic to women.21 She shows this compassion in her worrying over Abelard’s well-being and most distinctly in her ability to guide the sisters under her, which Abelard insists that she is much more successful at it than he with his monks.22 Her lustful sexual nature also conforms to medieval ideas about gender, because it is an indication of her weaker nature. Although she is not plagued by what Abelard calls a “[bodily] part of shame”, which is the source of male lust, she is more easily seduced by evil.23
Heloise conforms to a woman’s role best in her devotion to Abelard, as a wife, and her utter submissiveness to him.24 She herself says that she has and would do anything for him, that she “changed [her]… mind, in order to prove [him] the sole possessor of my body and my will alike.”25 It is this devotion, as extolled by Abelard in letter three, that truly fits Heloise into the gender role of a woman.26 Unlike men, the expectations of womanhood were broader, and as such, most of Heloise’s behavior easily fits into the expected, if not praiseworthy, female gender role.27 Despite a comparably narrower definition of manhood, Abelard also lives up to the expectations of his gender.
Bibliography
Radice, Betty: translator. The Letters of Abelard and Heloise. New York: Penguin
Classics, 2003.
Rosenwein, Barbara. A Short History of the Middle Ages. New York: Broadview Press,
2004.
Footnotes
1 Betty Radice. The Letters of Abelard and Heloise. 122, 118,
2 Radice, 121
3 Lindgren, 1/06
4 Radice, 80-82
5 Radice, 82, 83
6 Radice, 82.
7 Radice, 56, 72.
8 Radice, 117; Heloise refers to “women’s rashness”, which implies an impulsive nature, p. 99.
9 Radice, 72; This is evidenced by his addressing his letter “to the bride of Christ, from His servant” and Heloise addressing another of her letters
10 Radice, 47, 63, 93.
11 Radice, 56, 72.
12 Radice, 87.
13 Radice, 53, 66, 71, 93-111.
14 Radice, 52; Heloise makes it quite clear that she only joined the religious order because Abelard wished her to by calling it “[his] decision alone”.
15 Radice, 59-61. Barbara Rosenwein, A Short History of the Middle Ages 124, 229.
16 Radice, 60.
17 Rosenwein, 268
18 Radice, 51, 67, 80-82
19 Radice, 122. Abelard, while discussing the value of a woman’s virginity, quotes Pelagius that “a adulteress against Christ is more guilty than one against her husband”.
20 Radice, 99.
21 Radice, 122.
22 Radice, 57.
23 Radice, 82.
24 Rosenwein, 239
25 Radice, 51.
26 Radice, 60.
27 Radice, 118.