The name of the Rose

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 14^th 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. 

Glossary French Revolution

Timeline of important thinkers

Make your own mind maps with Mindomo.

Declaration of Independence

In my opinion, the Declaration of Independence was written because of selfish causes or, in other words, with economic purposes. This ones may have been inspired by the bourgeoisie and members of the upper-class, who needed the support of the lower-class. But, what evidences do we have to get to this statement?
First of all, it is no difficult to imagine a bourgeoisie desirous of power, moreover, they had many reasons to promote a rebellion against England as we can see in their grievances, such as the cut off of trade with the rest of the world.
Furthermore, we can observe evidences of the trying of the upper-class to persuade lower-class in that grievances as well and in the Declaration of Independence. For example, it is important to standout that they were written by white and privilaged men, using an inspiring language to call all classes to rebellion and to wake up patriotic feelings.
However, this determination of the bourgeoisie to persuade lower-class might have been only the result of their desire of gaining power over the govermen, for what they needed support.
As a conclusion, I can afirm that the reason of the writing of the Declaration of Independence is that priviladge classes needed the support of the lower-class to rebolt and this way gain control over goverments.

Here are links to the Declaration of Independence in which there can be observed the aspects I previously mentioned.

https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration

https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-transcript

Interview to Martin Luther

Today, we are interviewing Martin Luther, one of the most significant figures in christian's history. He wrote the 95 theses in a period in which the church was not as it has come to our days. With them, he managed to spark rebellion among European countries. 

1. What impulsed you to publish your 95 theses?

Europe, and catholism particularly, were going through a very difficult period of lies, greed and corruption and I couldn't stay sat down with my arms closed. However, I never had the intention to cause a rebellion, I only expected my thesis to make people think and to change the way religion was used to obtain money in an easier way. I have to standout, that in that moment, salvation was a matter of how much you paid for an indulgence and not a matter of what you have done in life; I mean, if you were wealthy, for example, and you could afford the indulgences, you had ensured a quick trip to heaven.

2. Did you expect being excommulgated after you made public your theses?

Of course I expected; me and my thesis weren't making any good for the church, so it was imaginable they would put me aside in order not to become a problem, what doesn't mean I agreed with the decision. However, it was late, my thesis had already been read by a lot of people (as this took place four years after their publication) and many of them had the same opinion as I did.

3. If you could pointout an event that encouraged the rebellion which would it be?

Well, I think that an event that realy helped to spread my believings around the whole continent is the one that took place in 1522: the translation of the New Testament into common German. This made easier to ordinary people the accesion to the scriptures; this promoted the criticism to the Roman church. In oder words, people hadn't judged before because they didn't know what to judge. 

4. What consequences had that event? 

This is an easy question: many german peasants rebolt, two years later, against their feudal lords. I think this incident was a huge step, as people started to have their own voice and learned they had to fight for their rights. Moreover, I was very pleased to be the person who had impulsed all of this people to do what they believed. 

5. Was that the only translation of the new testament done during the 1500s? 

No it wasn't, there was another translation in 1526. This one was into English and was done by William Tyndale as I can remember. In fact, I think this new translation had the same efect as the one to german had, making the reading more achievable for a lot of people.

6. So, what did translation caused?  

Well, although it took place eight years later, in 1534, it is clear its direct relation. I'm talking about the designation of henry VIII as head of the English church. This naming brought with it the announcement of the English Reformation. 

7. How did the Reformation affect the patrimony of the European countries in your opinion? 

Talking only about patrimony and putting aside the bloodsheds, I think it has been a huge lose of it as a lot of manesteries, abbeys or friaries were destructed and many written and painted works as well. However, I olso think this wa most of the times necesary as people were fighting for what they believed: integrity and justice. Furthermore, this lead to the rise of new forms of art that weren't actually known before. 

8. Did these fights worth? 

of course it did, in 1545, when the Council of Trent opened in order to reform the Catholic church and to make its "laws" more fair. And I think it did manage in a big part its objectives, managing to make the Catholic church a bit more equal for everyone. However, it was not enough and in 1618 the "Thirty Years' War" started.

9. Tell us about that war which lasted for thirty years.

The parts that participated in the war were the catholic States (Spain and Holy Roman Empire) against the Lutheran (Denmark and Sweden), the Anglican (England), the Calvinist (Netherlands) and France. Finally the French coalition difited the imperial armies of their enemies in 1548. After all the fight, war ended with the Peace of Westphalia, which was a series of treaties signed in order to end religious wars and get to an agreement. 

10. If you had to resume all the Reformation in one word, which would it be and why?

It would be "Braveness" as I think this is what made the Reformation go on. The braveness that I had when I published my thesis, the braveness of the german peasants to confront their lords, the braveness of all thepeople that supported my believings and finally, the braveness of the soldiers who fought in the Thirty Yeras' war. 

Animism in Sumba

Sumba is an island situated in the Indonesian archipelago that still conserve its animistic traditions. Here we can see some information about this island and manage to know more about animism, dualism, and many of its traditions.

1. What features animism define the believings of Sumba?  
The animism features that mainly define the believings of this island are those situated in the houses. First of all, each house has three floors: the first, for animals; the second, for humans; and the third, for the spirits, which are called "marapu" by the inhabitants of Sumba. Moreover, this houses are made of straw mainly, because stone is preserved for doing tombs mostly. Furthermore, it is remarkable that houses are decorated with animal craniums and paintings of cockatoos and horses, which are consedered spiritual animals.

2. Who is ratu for the village? 
He is a sorcerer or chieftain and the inhabitants of Sumba usually call him the worm's priest because of an ancient tradition they have related with this animals.

3. Which are the examples of dualism that appear on the video?
The division between men and women in the houses; the round walnut and the phallic husk; the ground and the seashore, which represents life and dead, day and night, and the change between seasons; and the central tree of the village, that also represents life and dead: life because of its fertility, and dead because the burials take place under this tree.

4. Explain the universal symbols that appear in the video and how they adapt to the believings of the village. 
The tree: because they are axs that conect Earth to heaven, in this case, it is also the center of the village.
Water: that surrounds the island os Sumba, in which the inhabitants of this place bath at the beginning of every year in order to renovate their souls.
The moon: which represents a cycle, days and nights.
The stones: they use them to make the megaliphic tombs because they last over time as well as souls do.
Although this are the main universal symbols they have, some others as sky or sun also take an important part in their belivings.

5. Explain the symboles of the house, what parts they have and how thay decorate them. 
Each house have three floors: the first for the animals, the second for men and women and the third for the marapu (the spirits) so they can be near the sky. Moreover, they decorate the houses with craneums of animals they have hunted and drawings of cockatoos and horses, which are considered spiritual animals by the inhabitants of Sumba.

6. Who is marapu? 
Marapu are the spirits that surround the village as well of those of the antecesors of the inhabitants of Sumba.

7. Explain the symbolism of the loom and explain the drawings of icats.
The icats are the clothes that the inhabitants of Sumba weaved. In them, it was expressed all the history of the island, as who the marapu are, their colonizations, etc; everything relevant for the history of the village.

8. How do the Sumba announce the new year? 
With  a collective catching of worms of sea. Every inhabitant of the island goes to the beach at the beginning of the year in order to catch as much worms of sea as they can. The more woms they obtain, the better year and the more fertile the ground will it be , so all effort a lot in order to find as much as possible.

9. Explain the symbolism of Pasola. 
Pasola is a fight between to two rival clans that takes place in order to fertilice the ground with blood. The members of both clans fight by horse, using spears to hurt the other. A good Pasola is that in which a lot of blood falls to the ground as it symbolises the fertilization of the ground and, as a consequence, a good year. For this reason, the ratus won't stop the fight until a lot of blood is spilled , so they can ensure a good rice harvest.

10. How does ratu tell the future to the village?
The ratu can predict the future by the ammount of sea worms that people catch at the beginning of the year. If there are a lot of sea worms, the year will be good, if not, it will be a bad year.
A part from this, he killed a hen and looked at its innards; if they were well, it will be a great future, on the other hand, if they weren't, something wrong was going to happen.

Interview to a pike man of the Tercios of Flanders.

Today, we are interviewing a pike man of the Tercios of Flanders. He was born in 1506 and enlisted to the Tercio of the kingdom he lived in when it was created, so he has being one the first pike men in history.

1. Which was the purpose of the creation of the Tercios?

They were created by Charles I when he faced the difficult job of maintaining secure the territories he had inherited in Milan, Naples and Sicilia.

With France trying to snatch these regions to the King, he had the duty of reorganizing the Spanish infantry of these Italian regions.  So, the first Tercios were created in order to accomplish the defense of these territories.

2. Which of the Tercios you belonged to?
I was part of the Sicilia’s Tercio, one of the first three Tercios, together with the ones of Naples and Lombardi. This three Tercios were called “Old Tercios” because of its long service.

These groups were born, by order of Charles I, for defending some of his kingdoms, and each of them had its own authorities. 

Later, Tercios’s formation continued as we were doing a very good job and demonstrating our loyalty to the King.

3. How did it come to your mind the idea of enlisting to a Tercio for defending your region?

Well, you have already said it: it was a matter of defending my own region. However, it was also a great opportunity of showing the world my loyalty to the king; all men that were there demonstrated a huge loyalty to Charles I in every battle and, of course, to God, as all were also catholic.

Moreover, it seemed to be a great chance to form myself as a soldier, as I had no experience in the job and Tercios were formed by great soldiers but also by unexperienced ones.

4. Talk us about the tactics you used in your battles.

Our tactics were inspired by the ones that the Swiss army used; we fought combining, in a very efficient way, bladed weapons (such as spades and spears) and fire arms (like harquebus and muskets).

Moreover, we had a huge mobility and a big capacity for adapting to each fighting field, so everybody knew us as the invincible army.

5. What part did you take inside this tactic? Which was your job?

I was a pike man, as well as most of the people that worked in the Tercios.

First of all, the muskets started the war, over one hundred meters away from the enemy.

Then, harquebuses fired when the opposite army was nearer.

And finally it was our turn, the turn of the pike mans, who were organized in a square formation. We put our pikes pointing the outside of the square, so the enemy army couldn’t get closer to us. I don’t want to brag, but we were the most important part of the attack, because the enemy army, whose soldiers were mostly on horses, was unable to fight against us as it was very easy to make them fall with our pikes.   

Furthermore, next to us, there were situated what we called “mangas”, that were groups of soldiers with fire arms that helped us during the battle.

6. What would you say that were the keys for wining so much?

I would stand out the organization of the Tercios and the huge help that pikes provided us. The square organization was a fundamental part of our attacks in order to defeat our enemies as they could do nothing to penetrate the formation. Moreover, pikes were important because they were between 4 to 6 meters long, so they made us able to manage the other army’s soldiers without getting out of our place and they also avoid a lot of deads as we used them to protect ourselves too.

7. Did you participate in the “encamisadas”? ¿What did they consist in?

Of course, and I think they provided our army a huge help.

The “encamisadas” were tactics in which we attacked the enemy when it was off-guard. The best pike mans of the Tercio were in charge of putting into practice this strategy.

It consisted in travelling during the night to the enemy’s field (where they slept), taking with us only bladed weapons and a white T-shirt for distinguishing us from the other army.  

Although these were only eventual attacks, with them we managed to sabotage our enemy’s arms and to cause the most injuries as possible.

8. What can you tell us regarding the “12 apostles”?

As a mentioned, I was part of one of the first Tercios, so it still was a big difference between the two groups of soldiers that had fire arms: the harquebusiers and the musketeers. Both groups used different arms.

The ones used by the harquebusiers, needed 12 gunpowder’s loads in tubes made of wood, this is what was popularly called the 12 apostles.

However, as time went by, differences between the two groups of soldiers disappeared, and the arms that harquebusiers used started to be similar to the ones of the musketeers.

9. Did you use any uniform or method for distinguishing from your enemies?

We didn’t use any uniform, each person wore what he wanted or could afford; however, all of us had to wear a red ribbon tied to our wrists and those who were pike men also had to tie another like it in our pikes and similar weapons.

10. How did Tercios end?

The end of the scary Tercios took place during the reign of Philip V, who dissolved and transformed them into regiments with less free captains, controlled by a more centralized power.

However, I think Tercios will remain during history because of all the battles they have fought and won and the good reputation they have given to the Spanish armies.