Western Civilization
Hunziker
Fall
2011
The Name of the Rose
ÒA Monk Shall Not Laugh.Ó
-Jorge de Borgos, Librarian
of the Abbey
This week we will be
watching Jean-Jacques Arnnaud 1986 film The Name of the Rose, based on the 1980 novel
by Italian author Umberto
Eco (personal website). While
this will, IÕm sure, provide a welcome change of pace from the normal routine,
my goal in showing it to you is above all to have you engage a variety of
issues from the middle ages. Indeed, this film can only truly be understood if
you have some knowledge of medieval history – yet another reason why
taking a Western Civ course is so useful.
Here
is a very quick summary of the film:
In 1327, William of Baskerville, a Franciscan monk played by Sean
Connery arrives at a wealthy Italian monastery. He went to take part in a theological debate that would be
attended by a papal delegation. At
issue in this debate was the question of ÒDid Christ own the clothes he
wore?Ó This is important, because
the ideal of poverty has been embraced by the order of the Franciscans. The result of this debate might lead
the Franciscans to be condemned as heretics. But when William arrives, he learns that a monk who worked
in the scriptorium has recently been murdered. He begins an investigation to find out why, and uses the
tools of logic and reason to find the truth. That is important, as it signals an important change in medieval
intellectual life. But during his
investigation, more monks begin to die.
Someone in the monastery has something to hide, and will stop at nothing
to keep it hidden.
In
addition to providing what I hope will be an entertaining mystery, this film
also tries to recreate life in a medieval monastery — including both its
most holy and its less savory, more corrupt sides. It also hits upon some of the dominant intellectual,
theological, and even political issues that shaped medieval Christianity and
the Church. Finally, it highlights
the problematic relationship between monasteries and the Church on the one
hand, and peasants on the other.
As you watch the mystery
unfold, you should also consider how the film presents medieval understandings
of knowledge and truth.
á What, for the monks of the monastery and indeed most
Christians of the age, is the nature of truth. How is the truth of something,
especially something that is hard to explain, established?
á How does the Franciscan friar William of Baskerville,
played by Sean Connery, challenge this understanding of truth and even notions
of the sources of ÒgoodÓ and ÒevilÓ? What intellectual and philosophical developments
of the high middle ages does William represent? And why is his method of
finding truth potentially so threatening to some?
á
Why is the abbot so worried
about the murder in his monastery?
What does he fear?
á
How does William go about
trying to solve the murder? What
is his primary guide? And why is
his method, based on reason, logic, and ultimately Aristotle, in itself so
important in this period?
á
What is the job of the monks
in the scriptorium? How is their
relationship to books different from WilliamÕs?
á
Why is Jorge de Burgos, the
old blind mink, so suspicious of him?
Why wonÕt he let William in the library? What theological tradition does Jorge represent? And why does he think Aristotle is so
dangerous?
Some other questions to
think about while you watch the film:
á How well does the film recreate the setting of a
medieval monastery and the medieval age in general? What popular conceptions of
the medieval period does it draw on to create a compelling, interesting
setting?
á How are the Benedictine monks portrayed? How are the
Franciscan monks portrayed? Who is the audience supposed to find more
sympathetic?
á
What role does Bernardo Gui
play? What does his character
suggest about the nature of the medieval Church? An intellect to be reckoned with, how does he argue his point?
á
How is does the monastery and its
library at once preserve and protect books an the secular knowledge they
contain while at the same time preventing them from becoming tools of further
learning? What explains this particular relationship to books and knowledge?
á What theological question is being debated at the
monastery? Why is it so important to the Church? (Keep in mind that the story
is set in 1327 and the pope lives
in this palace in Avigon.)
á
Who were the Dolcinites? What role do
they and the Inquisition play in this film?
á How are peasants portrayed in the film and what role
do they play? What is the film suggesting about the relationship of the Church
to the poor masses of common people?
á There are a few references to women in the film. What
do they tell us about the medieval conception of ÒwomanÓ?
Below are some terms
with links to Wikipedia articles. Knowing a little about them will deepen your
understanding of the film. The Wikipedia articles provide a good starting
point.
á
William of Ockham (OccamÕs Razor)
á
Ibn Hazm (briefly mentioned,
probably to suggest Islamic scholarsÕ contribution to Western thought)