Comparing Heloise In Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet
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The story of Heloise and Abelard is not unlike that of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet in the sense that there was drama, family trials, and immeasurable passion. Known for her intelligence and sexual relationship with Abelard, Heloise was not the typical medieval woman. The life of Heloise was not conventional in the sense that she gave birth to a child out of wedlock and was reluctant to marry Abelard even though her reputation as a woman was tarnished due to their relationship. The sources presented in this paper are mainly written by Abelard himself telling his and Heloise’s tale from his point of view and some letters between the two which show that most of the story is relatively accurate. The life of Heloise was different from…show more content… Since Abelard is the author of this story, it can be inferred that most of the details are historically correct due to the close relationship between Heloise and Abelard. According to Abelard’s version of the story, Heloise was brought up in Paris by her uncle Fulbert and there is no indication of when she was actually born or on what happened to her biological parents. There has been some indication that Heloise might have been an illegitimate child and was sent to be brought up Fulbert, her uncle. During her youth, it was very clear that Heloise was very smart and she was sent to a nunnery just outside of Paris to continue her education. Heloise does not become a nun and instead wants to continue her studies focusing on philosophy. The enthusiasm for Heloise to continue her education was brought on by her Uncle Fulbert and so he sent out for a tutor in order to obtain her goal. Heloise was not the typical medieval woman in the sense that she was very well educated and her main area of interest was in philosophy which was uncommon for women to study during this time due to social expectations. The intellect of Heloise spread throughout France and got the attention of a scholar by the name of