Alice White - Seminar Leader: Sarah James - EN646: Image, Vision and Dream

The Vices on the Wall in The Romance of the Rose: Ekphrastic

Literary and Visual representations.

How does one go about representing a dream in art? In The Romance of the Rose, the
narrator ekphrastically describes a crenellated wall decorated with paintings and carved
with inscriptions from a dream in which he travelled to a walled garden. His description
of what he observes is accompanied in some manuscripts with illuminated
representations. Some critics have dismissed the importance of illuminations by
suggesting that the illuminators’ knowledge of the text which they were representing was
quite often very limited. Illuminators would work with individual sheets at a time for
practical purposes, and the narrative of the work would not have been immediately clear
to them. Furthermore, finances dictated time constraints for each work produced. Not
only would this mean that the illuminator would have a limited amount of time to study
the work, but also perhaps influence them to select scenes to represent for which they
already had cartoons in order to reduce the amount of time to produce an image.

Although this may be the case, “cultural productions participate in systems of meaning
independent of the conscious intentions of their creators or users”1. Further or conflicting
meanings beyond that which is stated in the poem are supplied by the illuminations, and
provide us with information about assumptions or cultural influences which would have
affected the contemporary readers’ understanding of the poem.

If set-piece description such as ekphrasis is an example of narrative pause in that it forces

its audience to interpret to a greater extent, illuminations of texts serve a very similar
purpose. The illuminations in the Rose poem are frequently placed sporadically and
because there are limited rubrics, they draw the attention and encourage the reader to
interpret. The allegorical nature of the poem causes the reader to seek underlying
meaning. An ekphrastic description which could be read as narrative pause therefore has
a greater significance because in a sense the whole poem is a description which conveys
something that is not directly stated.

1 D.P. Fowler, “Narrate and Describe: The Problem of Ekphrasis”, The Journal of Roman Studies, Vol. 81,
(1991), p. 26

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 Alice White - Seminar Leader: Sarah James - EN646: Image, Vision and Dream

Many aspects of the literary description of the vices by Guillaume de Lorris make
reference to things which are difficult, if not impossible, to convey visually. For instance,
the idea that Envy did not wish to let go of the sorrow in her heart or the decline of Old
Age from her youth. Ekphrastic description displays not only the appearance of what is
described, but also the emotion connected with this, and when the description is reversed
back into visual form the image needs to convey the emotion imbued by the text as well
as or instead of what is described in imagery. It is interesting, therefore, to note whether
the artists considered it more significant to demonstrate the physicality of the images
described or more intangible qualities, and try to interpret what this may mean.

The character of Hate is the first depicted and often the first represented even when
multiple Vices are located in one illustration, although the narrator describes her as
located in the middle. For example, in the manuscript created for Louis I of France2, the
images are presented as chronologically described as opposed to adhering to this textual
location marker. This suggests that the artist believed that the linearization chosen by de
Lorris is perhaps more effective at conveying the vices than his imagining of physical
positioning. The character of Hate is described as not well attired, indeed even filthy and
hideous, and with her head wrapped in a cloth. Guillaume de Lorris suggests that her
image is angry and quarrelsome, with a frowning face and snub nose. In supplying an
image of Hate as dirty, an impression is created of a figure who has possibly been
physically fighting and dirtied themselves, and referring to poor attire evokes the
impression of a lower class of society due to the importance placed on clothing as a
Medieval form of social identification. Many of the illustrated Rose manuscripts depict
her as having a knotted white head cloth, but very few depict the snub nose, and although
her attire is simple it is not depicted as dirty. Instead, her rage is depicted through images
such as clenched hands or raised arms. One manuscript3 even depicts Hate as wielding a
club with one hand defiantly placed on her hip. Illustrators have elected to represent her
as a violent looking woman, perhaps because of pre-existent iconography of a
contentious woman such as that which is evident in many of the Proverbs. Illuminators
2 Morgan Library & Museum, M. 948, fol.195v
3 Oxford, Bodleian Library, MS Douce 195, fol.2r

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 Alice White - Seminar Leader: Sarah James - EN646: Image, Vision and Dream

seem to consider that gesture provides a more immediate representation of mood or act.

Cruelty is mentioned only very briefly, as being to the left of Hate. It is unclear why de
Lorris does this, but it may be that it is enough to mention her to imply more widely that
it is Cruelty to stand between a lover and his love. Her placement to the left of Hate may
suggest the biblical Matthew 25:41 where those on the left who in their hatred act cruelly
are condemned to hell. Perhaps because of the lack of literary description, many
manuscripts do not have visual representations of this Vice either. In the four examples
which I have studied with images, two represent Cruelty holding her belt,4 and two depict
her carrying a sword.5 This could be a reference to a masculine side to women who are
prone to acts of cruelty, or may express inhibitions of illuminators to depict a female
capable of physical attack without first masculinising her through reference to the belt
area or a phallic sword.

Guillaume de Lorris next describes Baseness, who is like Hate described as wild. Women
were considered less able to moderate their animal impulses than men, which is perhaps
why this adjective is used to describe sin and their inability to control it. Guillaume de
Lorris describes how she “seemed” and character as opposed to her appearance. Perhaps
because it is challenging to represent visually someone who is full of abuse, a
scandalmonger or incapable of honouring others as she ought, the description is limited in
this way. Although illustrators have free licence to depict her in any guise that they feel
depicts Baseness because of this ambiguity, there appears to be a tendency to depict her
as kicking at a servant. This indicates her inability to treat others appropriately, and since
in most cases the servant depicted is male, it initiates the suggestion that the rejection of
male advances is base and discourteous, which will be continued later in the poem. Many
of the manuscripts I have studied alternatively depict Baseness as exposing herself by
raising her gowns. This form of exposure would have been far from acceptable courtly
behaviour and as such indicates her ability to honour others as she ought. Additionally, it
sexualises the character, again prefiguring the themes presented later in the poem.

4 Bibliothèque nationale de France, MS fr.12595 fol.2v and J. Paul Getty Museum, MS Ludwig XV 7, fol.2r
5 Library of Congress, MS Rosenwald 396, fol.a2v and Morgan Library & Museum, MS M. 948, fol.7r

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 Alice White - Seminar Leader: Sarah James - EN646: Image, Vision and Dream

Covetousness is described primarily through her actions to accumulate wealth and incite
others to do so sinfully. The reference to lending money at interest may contain traces of
anti-Semitism. The narrator speaks mostly of her actions in inciting men to crime and
trickery, and gives a brief concluding statement that she aims to seize men’s possessions
and is too fond of other men’s goods. In this sense Covetousness is almost an Eve-like
character fulfilling the misogynist expectation of women by leading men into temptation.
Covetousness’ claw-like grasping hands are the physical manifestation of this personality.
She furthermore acts as a warning to the Lover regarding the intentions of women to
accumulate men’s wealth and inheritance. The depictions of her in almost all instances of
the manuscripts I have studied present her sitting at a chest with a lock on, indicating the
value of its contents. Many of the chests have money on top or inside of them, and most
images indicate grasping hands reaching for money. Gesture is used both to draw
attention to the treasures she possesses, but also by placing the hands hovering closely
above to indicate her possessiveness over them. Frequently there is a rail above her head
which has many clothes draped from it, to represent a contrast to Avarice, the vice which
is paired with Covetousness. This furthermore suggests the ways in which women may
seek worldly possessions and thus diminish a man’s wealth, a fact of which the Lover is
warned later in the poem.

Avarice in her proximity to Covetousness then represents the hoarding of ill-gotten gains.
The narrator describes a figure who deprives herself unnecessarily to the extent that she
has become green as a chive and is wearing rags; she is almost ridiculous. Her dress is
very old and patched, and due to the contemporary significance placed upon clothing the
folly of this is notable. The image of a tied up purse confirms that she has the money to
correct her poor situation and reinforces the idea of an unreasonable woman in control of
finances which was introduced in Covetousness. In order to contrast with Covetousness,
Avarice is generally depicted by illustrators as seated beside a locked chest. Often she is
shown to be holding tightly to a purse, her vice-grip indicated by many gathers in the
fabric. Many of the illustrations depict many brightly coloured garments as opposed to
the two drab, poor quality ones described in the poem, perhaps to highlight her hoarding,
as clothes were a sign of wealth and for her to possess and not wear them would highlight

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 Alice White - Seminar Leader: Sarah James - EN646: Image, Vision and Dream

her tightfistedness. Only four manuscripts6 depict her as wearing rags and only one as
green as a chive,7 perhaps to continue the misogynist idea of women being expensive, or
perhaps because it was simply too unlikely that a lady of wealth would defy social
convention to such an extent as to forgo the clothing required of her class.

The narrator describes Envy mostly in relation to her feelings about and reaction to
others’ success or failure. The suggestion of her physicality is related to her gaze, and
particularly her scowling, avoiding eye-contact and squinting. This may be linked with
the superstitious notion of the “evil eye”, since many myths alleged that an envious look
could curse or cause harm. Visual depictions of this character have focussed on
demonstrations of her envious reaction, for instance to a pair of lovers. The sexualising of
Envy links the vice with later occurrences of jealousy in the poem. Only one of the
manuscripts studied illustrates one eye closed.8 This perhaps is because of the focus upon
gesture over facial expression in Medieval art. In many of the manuscripts studied, Envy
appears to be facing away from the lovers and looking backwards, in order to
demonstrate her looking askance. Many images have one arm raised as if to dismiss their
offensive presence from her, or one or both arms crossed to show her dissatisfaction with
others’ happiness. In two images, dogs are shown with Envy.9 This may perhaps allude to
the idea that she has no relatives with whom she is not at odds; the only being who can
give her loyalty is a dog.

Misery is described as wildly, inconsolably abandoned to her grief, yellow and lean and
pale, and physically dishevelled as a result of raking at her clothes and hair. Again, de
Lorris suggests the animalistic abandonment of reason. It seems somewhat ironic that
Misery is here depicted as a vice, but later in the garden the Lover is advised that
weeping and wailing inconsolably should be his course of action in pursuing the object of
his desire. de Lorris seems to imply that seducing a woman by deceiving people into pity
is acceptable, but genuine uncontrollable grief is unacceptable, suggestive of the need to

6 Bibliothèque nationale de France, MS fr. 1558, fol. 2v, Bodleian Library, MS Douce 332 3v, Bodleian
Library, MS Douce 195 fol. 2v and Morgan Library & Museum, MS M. 948 fol. 8r
7 Morgan Library & Museum, MS M. 948 fol. 8r
8 Bibliothèque nationale de France, MS fr. 12588 fol. 2v
9 Bibliothèque nationale de France, MS fr. 1558 fol. 3r and Morgan Library & Museum, MS M. 948 fol. 8r

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 Alice White - Seminar Leader: Sarah James - EN646: Image, Vision and Dream

control the body in order to be respected. Visually, Misery is commonly depicted to be

wrenching at her hair and clothes, quite often exposing her breasts. Once again, the vice
has been sexualised, suggesting acts of wild abandon later in the poem. In all of the
colour manuscripts where hair was visible, it was blonde, perhaps to indicate high class
through fashionable pale colouring. One manuscript depicts the narrator in the frame, his
gesture indicating either attempts at consolation or chastisement.10 This could relate to the
idea that no-one could not feel great pity on seeing her condition, even the narrator
transcends boundaries to empathise, or perhaps to indicate how unreasonable and
inconsolable she is. Another is followed by an historiated initial containing a snake; could
this perhaps allude to the misery as a result of her own sin, such as Eve’s at being cast out
from Eden?

Old Age follows Misery in the chronology, and is described with reference to her decline
from her prime. Guillaume de Lorris describes things of which she is no longer capable
of, such as feeding herself or thinking for herself in order to reinforce her feebleness, as
well as indicating what a burden and embarrassment she has become to society. The
description carries the implication that the viewer of the image feels that she is no longer
of any value, having outlived her physical usefulness, and the underlying assumption that
women were valuable only for their reproductive capabilities. Once the Lover’s Rose is
past her flowering, she will be similarly worthless. The narrators’ reference to white hair
and mossy ears are also repugnant and suggestive of a de-sexualisation. In illuminations,
these are not depicted, perhaps because the social marker of her hat or the hood to
indicate coldness is considered more important. She is depicted as leaning on crutches,
again suggestive of the fact that the elderly become dependent on others to support them.
Her vulnerability to the cold is suggested generally by many cloaks, and also in some
manuscripts by an pose reaching towards a fire. This perhaps indicates how resource-
hungry the elderly become, furthermore suggesting burden. In some cases, there is a pot
or jug in the image, reminding the reader of her inability to feed herself and perhaps
arousing feelings less of pity than of disgust.

10 Bibliothèque nationale de France, MS Arsenal 5226 fol. 3v

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 Alice White - Seminar Leader: Sarah James - EN646: Image, Vision and Dream

Despite saying that the next image was made in Hypocrisy’s likeness, the description
which de Lorris provides does not contain much imagery. She wears a nun’s costume and
hair shirt and carries a psalter in order to indicate her outward piousness, and yet in
private she imagines and enacts all varieties of evil. Since one cannot depict evil
thoughts, and the whole point of hypocrisy is that it appears genuine, the majority of the
description and illustrations concern the pains she takes to appear genuine. Perhaps
because of the suggestion that to recognise sin makes one guilty of sinful thoughts, or
perhaps in order that the reader may imagine their own ideas of wickedness (or choose
not to), de Lorris does not provide a commentary of her evil deeds or thoughts. However,
this reinforces the pre-existing stereotype of the fallen woman by suggesting that even the
most saintly in appearance may be occupied by evil thoughts in private and thus
distrusted and even excluded from heaven. Accompanying illustrations depict an
individual who appears to be entirely pious: almost all are depicted praying, many in
front of altars, and those who are not are reading the psalter or clutching rosary beads.
Though this is perhaps due to the existence of cartoons for Books of Hours and other
religious matter which were convenient time-saving tools. Two of the manuscripts
depicted men, despite the clear textual reference to a woman.11 This again could be due to
the available cartoons, but also perhaps because a more common iconography of
hypocrisy was that of a monk, as can be seen in the marginalia of many texts, even
religious tracts.12

Poverty is similar to Old Age in the description suggestive that society would be better
off without them. The rigid class system is reinforced by de Lorris’ narrative in the
suggestion that poor men were cursed never to be well fed, well clothed or well shod;
there is no opportunity for advancement or improvement in fortune. There is no
suggestion here of the biblical reference to the meek inheriting the earth, although the
patrons who commissioned such texts were not meek, and would not wish to be reminded
of the biblical suggestion that there would be a reversal of men’s fortunes in heaven. Like
Old Age, Poverty is vulnerable to the cold and described as shivering naked as a worm or
wearing only an old thin sack. Again, de Lorris likens the figure to an animal in the
11 Bibliothèque nationale de France, MS fr. 1559, fol. 4v and Library of Congress, MS Rosenwald 396, fol. a5v
12 Michael Camille, Image on the Edge: The Margins of Medieval Art, 1992

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description of her crouched and cowered like a dog in a corner. She is surrounded by
dogs in one illumination to emphasise this.13 Images of poverty depict her not in a corner
but on a hillock or mound, iconography associated with the biblical story of Job.14 Like
Misery, her exposure has been sexualised, and in most depictions her breasts are exposed.
Some gestures seem to indicate her attempts to cover herself, thus conveying the shame
referred to in the text and again evoking images of the fallen woman: Eve ashamed of her
nakedness. In two images,15 the narrator is present, perhaps to indicate sympathy or
perhaps to highlight shame and despising.

Ekphrasis presents the reader with many challenges, not least because of the difficulty in
ascertaining the focalization of the piece and whose emotion is being reflected. With
reference to Romance of the Rose, the perception of the representation could be the
original artist’s (who created the wall ), the Lover’s, Guillaume de Lorris’, the
illuminators’, the person who commissioned the work, or the modern reader. The concept
of meaning versus significance is exacerbated in the case of the Romance of the Rose,
because it is unclear to whom the meaning or significance belongs. To furthermore
complicate the problem, Rose manuscripts were produced by copying already existing
manuscripts; a palimpsest of influences has created a piece which I would argue is more
reflective of its time than of any one individual. Because of this, considering ekphrastic
description and visual representations and comparing the two gives us vital and
unexpected clues to how the contemporary audience would have understood the text, and
I would argue that text and image cannot be considered in isolation from one another.

Bibliography
Roman de la Rose Digital Library <http://romandelarose.org/#home>
Fowler, D. P., “Narrate and Describe: The Problem of Ekphrasis”, The Journal of Roman Studies,
Vol. 81, (1991), pp. 25-35
Bibliothèque nationale de France, MS fr. 1559
Bibliothèque nationale de France, MS Arsenal 3338
13 J. Paul Getty Museum, MS Ludwig XV 7, fol. 4r
14 A comparative image of Job on his Dunghill can be seen in King’ 8, f.78
<http://www.bl.uk/catalogues/illuminatedmanuscripts/ILLUMIN.ASP?Size=mid&IllID=2524>
15 Bibliothèque nationale de France, MS Arsenal 3338 fol. 5r and Bibliothèque nationale de France, MS
Arsenal 5226 fol. 4v

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 Alice White - Seminar Leader: Sarah James - EN646: Image, Vision and Dream

Bibliothèque nationale de France, MS Arsenal 5226

Bibliothèque nationale de France, MS fr. 1558
Bibliothèque nationale de France, MS fr. 12588
Bibliothèque nationale de France, MS fr. 12595
Bodleian Library, MS Douce 332
Bodleian Library, MS Douce 195
Camille, Michael, Image on the Edge: The Margins of Medieval Art, Cambridge: Harvard
University Press, 1992

J. Paul Getty Museum, MS Ludwig XV 7

King’ 8, f.78 <http://www.bl.uk/catalogues/illuminatedmanuscripts/ILLUMIN.ASP?
Size=mid&IllID=2524>
Library of Congress, MS Rosenwald 396
de Lorris, Guillaume, and de Meun, Jean, The Romance of the Rose, ed. Frances Horgan,
Oxford University Press, 1999
Morgan Library & Museum, M. 948
Walters Art Museum, MS W. 143