The Romance of the Rose

Nature begins her confession by telling how God created the world in an allusion to Genesis 1 in the Bible. After God made the earth, he put Nature in charge of maintaining and ruling over it and all the elements. She says that all things obey her as they should—except for humans. She describes the beauty and symmetry of the sky, the Zodiac, the sun, and the planets (seven planets, including the moon, according to medieval cosmology). She uses the contemporary scientific theories of the day to explain the dark side of the moon, saying that it represents a serpent “whose head is always bent towards the west, while its tail points to the east” (261). She discusses the sun, perfectly placed to bring life to Earth, and the harmonies it and the planets make, the source of all music. Although the heat of the sun is good, Nature insists that it drains people of fluid, which kills them. She discusses the other ways that people die and lists them, saying that many people ruin her work to give them a natural death.

Nature insists that death can be avoided if people believe in Reason. She discusses predestination and free will, insisting that the two are “compatible,” as it makes no sense for one to be truer than the other in a system where God is just and yet rewards or punishes people for their actions. She refutes the logical fallacies and arguments others might make about the issue and points out that without free will, nobody would need to seek advice or try to learn anything. She argues that God’s omniscience does not contradict men’s freedom and that they must necessarily coexist. Regardless of the ultimate outcome, men should be careful to live well so that they do not sabotage their own lives and success.

She gives the example of a man who says he is fated to marry a woman, but their marriage goes badly. She says that it is wrong to blame God for this outcome since the couple could have “refrained if they had only known themselves” (274). Love without self-knowledge is impossible; animals, who cannot know themselves, would not serve humankind if they could. She describes the harm animals could wreak on humankind if they were intelligent enough to know themselves and build machines.

Nature insists that storms and winds are what damage crops and the natural world instead of demons, berating those who try to accuse the supernatural for the actions of the heavens. She describes floods, which make satyrs and spirits of nature sad and destroy the natural world for a time. She talks about Aeolus, the god of the winds, and personifies the clouds as people who put on blue clothing and use rainbows for archery. She also includes references to books that are useful to read about the scientific theory behind rainbows, specifically Optics by Alhazen. This book also has useful information on mirrors, which she claims would have prevented Mars and Venus from being caught cheating on Vulcan. Genius agrees with her and provides some other ways in which they could have avoided being caught. Nature and Genius agree that women are not trustworthy.

Nature continues talking about the wonders of mirrors, which change the perceived size of objects and can be manipulated to make images double, depending on the angle of mirrors. Since sight fails us so often, nobody can be sure what it truly is that they are seeing. Despite the extent of her speech on mirrors, she deliberately chooses to not talk about where images come from in the first place since that would be too long and complicated.

Nature talks about people who sleepwalk and go into frenzies, walking to places they don’t recognize without knowing about it. She also mentions that many people manage to conjure up visions of things they think heavily about, whether through dreams or hallucinations: Lovers dream of their lovers, and people who think hateful thoughts dream of war and violence. Despite this, she insists that people who think they become sorcerers at night to explain their dreams are foolish since souls cannot leave their bodies except in death.

She talks briefly about comets and their power over the world. Although some use comets to predict the death of royalty, she insists that their bodies aren’t worth anything more than the average person, so it makes no sense for comets to signify anything. Nobility, according to Nature, comes from virtue and not from birth, and people who read and study have a higher chance of becoming noble because of this. Nature then interrogates the value of nobility; it creates a burden on those who inherit it, and many people inherit titles they do not deserve. Nature insists that she gives all men natural liberty, which is more valuable than nobility and not limited to certain people.

Nature discusses eclipses and other natural phenomena, insisting that they do not signify more than the natural world moving as it should. She goes through everything under her power—she has no complaints about the heavens, the elements, the plants, and the animals, but she does have complaints about humankind, which causes her great distress. She discusses Jesus; she was horrified by men’s downfall and equally horrified that God would use Jesus to save them, but she loves humankind deeply despite their faults.

She finally asks Genius if it is right for her to love and support man, her creation, when they have sinned so deeply. She lists the faults of humankind and the appropriate punishments in hell, citing several examples from the Greek Underworld, such as Sisyphus and Tantalus. She asks Genius to go to the God of Love and greet him and everyone except False Seeming (whom she promises to only forgive if he proves himself trustworthy). She writes a pardon for him to give to all those in Love’s company. Genius forgives Nature for her faults, sets her back to work at her forge, and flies off to greet the company of Love.

Genius arrives at the site of the battle; False Seeming and Constrained Abstinence leave before he arrives. He recounts Nature’s speech; Love gives him new clothes and a ring, and Venus puts a candle in his hands. Genius stands on a platform and gives a sermon to all the barons.

Genius announces that Nature has declared that all who spite her should be excommunicated and that true lovers should go to heaven provided they confess. Nature regrets giving tools to false sinners who do not use the tools—“plowshares” and “writing implements”—as intended, a metaphor for those who have sex for pleasure instead of reproduction. If people do not use the tools given to them, humanity will die out, which should only happen according to God’s will. Genius argues that it makes no sense that God would want some people to stay abstinent but not others, as his standards for people are all the same. Genius curses all those who commit sexual sins and encourages people who are alive to have sex happily and energetically to avoid the three Fates, who try to wipe out bloodlines, and thereby avoid punishment from the three Furies, who devour people in hell. Genius exhorts his audience to avoid the 26 vices listed in the story to avoid such a punishment.

Genius encourages his audience to love their lovers and stay loyal to them and memorize his speech to ensure that they can cling to his words. If they do, they will be allowed into heaven, which he describes as a beautiful, verdant pasture that never experiences night. Genius then berates those who castrate men since men without testicles cannot be loved by their wives and cannot be courageous. While it is not a “mortal sin,” it is a sin against Nature since men cannot procreate without their genitals.

Genius says that Jupiter, god of the heavens, once declared that all people should live according to their own happiness, which caused a great deal of problems: He invented greed, borders, farming, and predation but also the arts because men create when they are stressed. He created the seasons and caused men to decline in a variety of ways.

Genius uses a metaphor about black and white sheep to describe sin. Black sheep refuse to follow the path of the white lamb (Christ) and remain sick and dirty, with worthless wool, and shepherds do not love them. Genius claims that the beautiful white lamb is what awaits followers of Love who do not sin; they can enter a beautiful garden.

Genius then describes the Garden of Pleasure as opposed to the garden of heaven: Heaven is so much more beautiful and good that the Garden of Pleasure seems foolish and illusory. He specifically targets the spring of Narcissus, which deserves no praise and is ugly and poisonous, only appearing clear and beautiful. Each spring, tree, and object in the Garden of Pleasure has a heavenly counterpart that is good and beautiful. Genius once again encourages the listeners to behave well so that they can see the heavenly garden, and then he throws down the candle, permeating everyone in the audience with the smoke.

The audience grows extremely joyful after the sermon and memorizes it immediately. Genius disappears, and the army rises to finish the fight. Venus orders the opposition to stand down, but they refuse. She threatens to burn them all alive and burn down the castle, allowing anyone to take the roses if they want, although only those who come in secret will be praised. Venus draws her bow and aims at a tiny hole decorated with a statue.

The narrator describes these statues as incredibly beautiful, much like the works of Pygmalion. He then recounts this myth. Pygmalion is a sculptor who makes a beautiful statue for his own pleasure, but he then falls in love with the statue and grieves at not being able to be with her. He dresses the statue in beautiful clothes and imagines having a relationship with her, all the while aware that he is forsaking Nature by loving his own creation. He eventually marries the statue and, having nearly lost his mind, goes to Venus and begs her to bring the statue to life. She does; he returns to his workshop and doubts that she is real. The statue reassures him that she is real, and they kiss and make love.

The narrator briefly tells another story about Adonis’s birth, promising to explain further (he never does). Venus shoots her arrow at the relic and sets the castle on fire; the inhabitants panic and leave in a hurry. Courtesy, Pity, and Generosity jump into the castle to save Fair Welcome; they tell him that he is safe and free to give his love and the rose to the narrator.

The narrator describes his “scrip” and “hammers,” which allow him to pursue his goal and survive his journeys. He describes the value of loving old women, who can provide money and stability but are unable to be tricked (and often think everyone is trying to trick them). The narrator uses his tools to attack the castle but struggles to access the pathway. He finally enters and plucks the rosebud, promising Fair Welcome to only do things he approves of.

The narrator sensually grasps and embraces the rosebud, and Fair Welcome submits to his actions. The narrator thanks Venus and Love for allowing him to kiss the rose, and then he wakes up.