RAGE OF THE HEART

by Enrico Garzilli

SYNOPSIS OF THE PLAY

The musical Rage of the Heart is based on a true story which takes place during the twelfth century. The hero, Peter Abelard, was the most famous man of his age. He was a philosopher, composer and singer. Wherever he went, he was followed by hordes of devoted students and fans.

During this period in history, monasteries and the emerging Catholic church were the only employers of educated men. Bound by the church's great pressure upon him not to marry, Abelard had never loved a woman until he met the story's heroine, Heloise.

Heloise is often described as one of the most beautiful and intelligent women who ever lived. Although she possessed a brilliant mind in her own right (and ultimately became a highly respected abbess), when they met she was a seventeen-year-old girl from Brittany, and Abelard was already a world famous man in his late thirties.

Surrounded by the jealousy of many, their love seemed impossible from the very beginning. The discovery of their relationship actually rocked the very foundations of the medieval world. Driven by his inner demons, Heloise's uncle Fulbert commits a horrible crime in order to punish them and end their love forever. Instead, their relationship transcends this great tragedy, and grows into a great testament to the power of faith and love. All of this is recorded in their famous letters to one another.

The love story of Abelard and Heloise is one of great triumph. Their relationship evokes the highest aspirations of all humanity - the pursuit of truth, meaning and love.

PERSONAE

A NOTE FROM THE PLAYWRIGHT

As a student I was travelling in France from Mont-Saint-Michel to Chartres and reading Henry Adam's book which explores the rise of gothic architecture. Adams incorporated highlights of the key events and people of the 12th century Renaissance, including the story of Abelard and Heloise and their meeting in 1117. Adam's account was my first exposure to their timeless story. Later, as a professor of Western Civilization, I came across the story again. What first intrigued me was the discovery that Abelard's philosophcal "methodology" actually helped shape and pave the way for modern scientific inquiry. Like Copernicus, Galileo and, much later, Einstein, Abelard's unique approach to the dialectic (logic, analysis, and debate) changed history.

As I read more about Peter Abelard and his life 900 hundred years ago, I found that he was not only a revered scholar, but also poet, accomplished singer, and composer. In fact, he was very much a folk hero of his day. Students followed him everywhere he went; important leaders consulted him regularly on matters of great importance, and his fame spread widely. When he met Heloise, Abelard was already one of the best known teachers and philosophers in all of the medieval world.

Abelard and Heloise often sang to one another, and as one of Heloise's letters attests, she fell in love with Abelard partly because of his magnificent voice. In another letter, Heloise conveys: "Since many of the songs you wrote for me told of our love, they soon made me not only famous throughout the world, but the envy of every woman who heard them."Because Abelard was not supposed to marry, their love faced great adversity from the beginning. In fact, it appeared at one point as if the entire world was conspiring to keep them apart. Even those closest to them committed horrifying acts of betrayal - some of which are eerily reminiscent of today's shocking headlines.

But in the end, their lives mirrored the music that they shared, sometimes joyous, often poignant, and always filled with love. Like Samson and Delilah, Antony and Cleopatra, Romeo and Juliet, this is a story that must be told. A timeless tale with the breathless purity of its undeniable message: that love triumphs over all else. The action my play takes place in France, 1117-1140. It is sung through in its entirety.

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