Roman proverb: stat rosa pristina nomine, nomina nuda tenemus:

"in name only the rose remains pristine, we hold stripped names"


 

"What's in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet;"

--Romeo and Juliet, II.ii.45-46


Novel: written by Umberto Eco, 1980

Film: directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud, 1986


Characters

William of Baskerville

Adso of Melk

The Abbot

Berengar

Bernardo Gui

Adelmo's illuminated manuscript

The girl

Venerable Jorge

Malachia

Remigio

Salvatore

Severinus

Ubertino

Venantius with William

Venantius' feet

Themes

Medieval Topics and Objects

Discussion Questions

How they died

  1. Adelmo: suicide; jumped from the tower BEFORE William and Adso arrive at the monastery

  2. Venantius: murdered by Jorge's poisoned pages; deposited by Berengar in the blood vat

  3. Berengar: murdered by Jorge's poisoned pages; found in the bath

  4. Severinus: murdered by Malachia; hit on the head with an Italian Armillary Sphere

  5. Malachia: murdered by Jorge's poisoned pages

  6. Salvatore: burned at the stake for heresy

  7. Remigio de Varagine: burned at the stake for heresy

  8. Unnamed girl: in the novel she is taken away from the abbey and eventually she dies at the stake fro witchcraft; in the movie she escapes and lives

  9. Venerable Jorge: suicide by his own poisoned pages

  10. Bernardo Gui: died in carriage "accident"; impaled on spikes