THE CHARACTERS
1. What are the names of the two main
characters of the movie?
The two main characters of the movie are William of
Baskerville, a Franciscan monk, and Adso of Melk, his apprentice.
2. What religious order do they belong
to? Who founded the order and what were the order’s key principles?
They belong to the Franciscan order, which was founded
by Francisco of Asís in the year 1209. The most important principle of this
order is the principle of poverty as they don’t have anything that belongs to
them, they live from alms.
3. What other famous pair in the crime
novel could you compare them with?
I would compare these characters with Sherlock Holmes,
one of the most famous detectives of the crime novel in the world (who would be
the equivalent to William of Baskerville in the movie), and his assistant
Watson (who would be represented by Adso of Melk in this movie). Both pairs of
people solve mysteries by the use of reason and logic.
4. Why do these two characters go to
this Abbey in northern Italy?
They came to the abbey in order to take part in a
debate in which it would be argued weather to live in poverty, like Christ is
supposed to have done, or not.
5. What are the secret instruments that
Brother William carries? Why did he cover them when he received the Abbot's
visit in his cell?
The objects are his lens and some other instruments
used for observing, studying and interpreting the stars. The reason why he hid
them from the Abbot is because Astronomy in those years was considered heresy and
the consequences could result very bad for William of Baskerville.
6. Which of the two theological
currents, Patristics or Scholasticism, would you identify Bro. William with?
Why?
I would identify Bro. William with Scholasticism. The
main reason is because this movement is based in the Greco-Latin philosophy and
one of the main philosophers of this current was Aristotle. From the movie we
know that William of Baskerville defended this thinker and his ideas from which
we can stand out the importance of laugh.
7. Which character in the film would
oppose, from the theological-philosophical point of view to Bro. William?
The antagonist, the Venerable George, who is clearly
opposed to laugh and this ideology pushes him to kill everyone who reads a book
about this theme which was written by Aristotle.
8. The character of Bro. William is
inspired in William of Ockham. Find some information about this character and
his philosophy.
William of Ockham was an English Franciscan philosopher,
theologian, and political writer of the 14th century. He has also been categorized as one of the
main fathers of nominalism, which is a philosophy that defends that universals
are merely mental concepts and abstractions which do not really exist, except
in the mind.
Talking about his more remarkable works, in addition
to formulating his famous methodological principle commonly known as Occam's
Razor, he produced significant works on Logic, physics and theology.
9. What does the peasant girl symbolize?
What vision existed for women and love in the Middle Ages according to the
film?
This girl symbolizes in the movie sin and lust, as we
can appreciate for the comments that are made by the different monks about that
peasants, who is known in the entire Abbey. For this reason, in the Middle Ages
women were like “forbidden” for men, as they made them fall into sin.
10. Who were the "Dulcinians"
or “Dulcinites”? Which characters in the film practiced this heresy?
It was a religious sect that was opposed to the
clergy. One of the main point they criticized from its members was that they
lived with luxury, so as a consequence they started stealing their riches in
order to give them to poor people. We can see Dulcinians in the movie in the
characters of Remigio di Vragine and Salvatore, who were finally condemned to
death for commuting heresy.
THE ABBEY
1. What monastic order does the abbey
belong to?
The abbey belongs to the Benedictine order.
2. Who founded this order and what was
their motto?
The person who founded this order is Benito of Nurse. This monk wrote
“The Benedictine Rule”, which can be resumed in the following motto: pax
("peace") and the traditional ora et labora ("pray and
work"). In this sentences it is expressed the Benedictine main principle:
the value of work and self-sufficiency.
3. What activities take place in the
monastery?
In the movie we can observe how some activities take place in order to
facilitate the subsistence of the monks. Some of those activities are
agriculture, livestock rising and the most important, writing and illustration
of books. These last two activities made that the abbey became famous because
of its library.
4. Why do the peasants go to the abbey?
What were the social groups in the Middle Ages and what was their role in
society?
Peasants went to the abbey in order to pay the tithe. This was the tenth
part of agricultural produce or personal income set apart as an offering to
God.
Talking about the society during the Middle Ages, it was divided into the
estates of the realm. This means that it was divided into three main groups:
two of them were wealthy (nobility and clergy) and the last was poor (peasants).
The class in which you were born would be your class for all you live (however
there were ways for peasants to improve they position: getting married with a
member of the nobility or entering the clergy). The nobility was in charge of
politics, the clergy of religion and literary works, and finally, peasants, had
to grow crops in order to give a part to the clergy: the tithes I have already
mentioned.
5. What architectural style appears in the
movie? And what are its main
characteristics?
The Abbey we can see in the movie, where the entire story takes place,
is without doubts a Romanesque construction.
Among the characteristics of this architectural style we can stand out
the austerity of the Abbey; its thick walls of stone and small windows that make
the interior part very dark; a lot of rooms, some of them fundamental in a monastery,
as the library; and, finally, its round arches. All of these things were used
in order to produce fear to people and this way increase respect to the church
and the clergy.
6. Does the Abbey that inspired the novel still
exist? Where is it?
The Abbey of the movie actually exists, it is called San Michele Della
Chiusa, and it is situated in the province of Turin, Italy.
THE STORY
1. After the first deaths, what book of
the Bible seems to be the answer to
those unexplainable murders? Why?
The book that seemed to be the answer to the deaths that were taking
place in the abbey was the apocalypse. The main reason is because all of them
were very similar to what this book predicts that would happen; moreover,
attributing the deaths to the evil would put an end to the mystery without the
necessity of searching for a responsible. Finally, the timeline (near year
1000) that was mentioned in the apocalypse’s book was very near from the date
when the story was taking place.
2. What’s the debate that occurs in the
Abbey about?
The debate is about the lifestyle that should be carried out by monks.
There are only two options: total poverty (which was defended mainly by the
Franciscans because it was supposed to be how Christ lived) or not.
3. Why do Pontifical Delegates were sent
to participate in this debate?
They were sent to participate in the debate that took place in the abbey
because they represented the point of view which opposed to the Franciscan’s
one; Pontifical Delegates believed that the church should keep its wealth. It
is important to take into account that this took place in a period in which the
church’s riches were very criticized.
4. What are the two opposing arguments
that mark the debate?
On the one hand, we have the point of view of Franciscans: as Christ
lived in total poverty, I mean, with no material or individual possessions, the
clergy should live that way as well. On the other hand, the point of view
defended by papal delegates, iss that the church’s wealth should be kept in
order to be able to continue the fight against unfaithful or hose against the
church.
5. What does Bernardo Gui symbolize? Did
he really exist?
Bernardo Gui symbolizes the Holy Inquisition. This character actually
existed, he was a Dominican religious. Bernardo was Inquisitor of Toulouse between
1307 and 1323. Moreover, as a reward, he was given Tuy’s (Galicia, Spain)
bishopric and later Lodève’s (Hérault, France) one.
6. What was the Holy Inquisition?
The Holy Inquisition was a catholic institution which started in France
and then spread along all Europe. It safewarded orthodoxy and punished
everybody who went against the “official dogma”, as we can see in the movie
with the three people who are condemned to death.
7. What tricks are used by the Director to
keep the plot’s intrigue and the
viewers’ attention?
First of all, a series of false clues which make the viewer think that
the murderer is who he really isn’t (as the abbot or Remigio). However, when
the spectator already thinks that he has solved the mystery, it happens
something that makes that character seem innocent, so the viewer needs to
continue searching.
8. What does ugliness symbolize in the
movie?
Ugliness symbolizes fear and meanness, as the ugly characters are
suspects of being the murderer, as Malachia; or maybe they are guilty of committing
heresy, as Salvatore; or they are real murderers, as Jorge of Burgos; in this
last case ugliness is symbolized by a physical deformation, in the eyes.
THE BOOKS
1. What classical authors is Bro. William
‘in love’ with?
William of Baskerville, as a person who loved and studied classical
literature, admired some classical
authors as Virgilio or Ovidio, but the most important for him was Aristotle,
with whom he shared ideology.
2. What do these authors have in common?
All of them are classical writers from the ancient times, either from
Greece or Rome.
3. What opposing arguments about laughter
appear in the movie?
On the one hand, the Benediction point of view, which is mainly
represented by the Venerable George, which stands that laugh is a symbol of
ignorance that deforms face features, moreover he claims that it is never said
in the Bible that Jesus laughed. On the
other hand, we have the Franciscan point of view, mainly defended by William of
Baskerville, which says that laughing is not a bad action; on the contrary, it
is a symbol of happiness. In addition, he answers back that it is also never
said in the Bible that Christ didn’t laugh.
4. What forbidden book used humor and
comedy as an instrument of truth?
That book is the second poetics book of Aristotle. It is what marks the
entire story, triggering the fury of the venerable George and being used as
well for killing those who try to read it.
5. Why did Venerable Jorge poison the tips
of that book’s pages?
Because that way everyone who read that book wouldn’t survive. But why
that book? The reason is because it was a book of humor and comedy and this
were the arms of the Evil against fear, which was necessary to maintain faith.
6. Why did Umberto Eco title his novel as
The Name of the Rose?
There can be different reasons of why the author called the book The
name of the Rose. It is important to take into account that this wasn’t the
first name given to the novel, as Umberto Eco once said in an interview. He first
called the book “Adso”, however, this title wasn’t accepted by the editorial,
so he changed it.
But I haven’t answered the question yet, why The Name of the Rose? Well,
first of all, we can observe some features in the novel that can remind us
roses, for example the labyrinth, whose all ways can be similar to the petals
of a rose.
Moreover, we have the figure of the Virgin Mary, interpreting the Rose
in a religious way, as the Virgin is sometimes called “The Mystic Rose”. She is mentioned in the book as a symbol of
purity an opposed to the luxury and lust of the monks.
Finally, and the most important reason, we have to observe the last
sentence of the novel: "Stat rosa prístina nomine, nomina nuda
tenemus", which traduced to English would mean. “from the Rose it is
left only the name”. This sentence means that from all the
religious and cultural patrimony that was kept in the burned library, now it
only endures its memory.
CONCLUDE YOUR ASSIGNMENT WRITING A SHORT
PARAGRAPH WITH
YOUR
COMMENTS ABOUT THE MOVIE
Apart
from being a movie that belongs to my favorite novel genre, mystery and crime, which
manages to keep the viewer attention at all time trying to solve the murderers,
I can stand out as its main strong point that it makes a very good and faithful
representation of the Middle Ages. Moreover, I like very much the way it uses,
through the different characters, to criticize the luxury and lust of the
clergy and the bad conditions of peasants, apart from the injustices that committed
the Holy Inquisition, which had too much power.
In
general, I find it a very interesting movie which makes people have a good time
a the same time as they learn a lot of things of that period of time, as I hope
to have shown in this questionnaire.
