Women in Culture and Context

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A great deal of medieval culture could be taken from these texts in the context of the societies of the time. Therefore, one could come to understand some of the differences in medieval culture from today's western society and what is in today's context seen as oppressive to women. The personal relationship between two prominent European figures especially shows the effects of Christianity on the culture and outlook of men and women alike. The effects of its rigidity on women, however, creates quite the negative point of view of female oppression, especially in the upper echelon of European denizens such as this duo, that most likely could not have truly been expressed in medieval society. As evidence, the situation of Heloise depicts a woman bounded by the wishes of her male domineers, trapping her in what must have a grueling way of life for an intelligent young woman such as herself. A glimpse into this could be seen in letter 4 as she writes to Abelard, "Of all wretched women I am the most wretched, and amongst the unhappy I am unhappiest... What glory she [Fortune] gave me in you, what ruin she brought me through you! …The grace of God through Jesus Christ our Lord... came upon you... a single wound of the body by freeing you from these torments has healed many wounds in your soul... But for me, youth and passion and experience of pleasures which were so delightful intensify the torments of the flesh and longings of desire..." This is quite a powerful expression of feeling from Heloise, and the letter from beginning to end conveys quite a pitiable narration of her situation. First of all, the role of her religion in her suffering is clear as her taking the veil as a nun and in marriage clamps her in strict obligations in faith as a young woman, which she pushed upon herself for "only one after Christ." Her actions and feelings of passion are shunned due to her profession, and her husband cannot satisfy her any but in his instruction she seek solace in her love for God. However, her love for God is nothing but the product of her society and her love for Abelard. The expectation of her Christian world is a woman of purity and piety clearly depicted throughout the narrations of the letters. The weight of this in the favor of men creates the notion of a cruel double-standard that is evidence of the oppression of women that could not have much of a voice against. This same sort could be drawn into interpretations of Qur'an. Due to the nature of Muslim society, differences in context could widely skew integrations of Muslim teachings into society. Therefore, the way in which women are presented in text is seen to have a tremendous impact on the treatment of them in life's affairs. Because of the way this works, women have been subjected to what could be interpreted as oppressive acts such as physical abuse, polygamous husbands, and a barring from formal education. This is a product of Muslim culture though, and an understanding of the surrounding culture brings these effects into varying perspectives. Therefore, both positive and negative points of view in both European and Middle Eastern depictions on the conditions of women have to be considered in context of the interpreter and to the times of the writing.

In the end, a wealth of rich information on the lives of women in medieval society could be taken from both texts no matter the interpretation of them. And the history of the Eurasian area is one of fierce diplomacy, trade, war and conflict. The structure of medieval society was based around this culture. The expectations of the roles of both men and women were therefore necessary for the success of civilizations, such as men in arms and women as caregivers. Therefore, the fact that certain idealized attributes of women were pervasive in civilization comes as no surprise, and clear evidence of these values are exemplified in both of these writings. Through analyzation of texts containing evidence of medieval society an idea of what was the outlook of women and why women are presented the way they are can be derived.