A Thorny Rose Bush and Other Greenery Love, Lust and Suffering in the Romance of the Rose

Open Access
Authors
Publication date 2022
Host editors
  • C.A. Chavannes-Mazel
  • L. IJpelaar
Book title The Green Middle Ages
Book subtitle The Depiction and Use of Plants in the Western World 600-1600
ISBN
  • 9789463726191
ISBN (electronic)
  • 9789048557745
Series Clavis Kunsthistorische Monografieën
Pages (from-to) 228-244
Publisher Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press
Organisations
  • Faculty of Humanities (FGw) - Amsterdam Institute for Humanities Research (AIHR) - Amsterdam School of Historical Studies (ASH)
Abstract
Roses are ambiguous in nature. Associated with Aphrodite, they stand for love and lust, but also for the sharp thorns of heartache. The rose is an ode to the Virgin Mary, while it also symbolizes the suffering of Christ. In the Romance of the Rose, in which a rose bush plays the leading role, this ambiguity is also expressed. The garden where the bush grows is a heavenly paradise, but also a garden of lust. The love of the narrator for one of the rosebuds is sweet, but also heart-breaking because he is not allowed to touch it. When he nevertheless indulges himself on the bud, this leads to the end of the bud, but fills him with bliss.
Document type Chapter
Note Originally published as: C.A. Chavannes-Mazel & L. IJpelaar (red.), De Groene Middeleeuwen : Duizend jaar gebruik van planten 600-1600. Uitgeverij Lecturis, 2019.
Language English
Published at https://doi.org/10.5117/9789463726191
Published at https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/61939?show=full
Other links https://www.aup.nl/en/book/9789463726191/the-green-middle-ages#toc
Downloads
A thorny rose bush and other greenery (Final published version)
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