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Venantius of Salvemec
Benno is a student of rhetoric who worked in the scriptorium with Venantius and Adelmo. After Berengar’s death, Malachi makes him assistant librarian. When the book falls into Severinus’s possession, he steals it back and returns it to Malachi without opening it—and thus does not die of poisoning. At the end of the novel, however, he throws himself into the flames in the library and burns to death, echoing the complete spiritual and physical ravaging of the abbey and its occupants.
Benno of Upsala Quotes in The Name of the Rose
The The Name of the Rose quotes below are all either spoken by Benno of Upsala or refer to Benno of Upsala. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Second Day Quotes
And, Benno added with a smile, how many times had he himself not been stirred by desires of the intellect so violent that to satisfy them he would have consented to complying with others' carnal desires, even against his own inclination.
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Fifth Day Quotes
The good of a book lies in its being read. A book is made up of signs that speak of other signs, which in their turn speak of things. Without an eye to read them, a book contains signs that produce no concepts; therefore it is dumb. This library was perhaps born to save the books it houses, but now it lives to bury them.
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Benno of Upsala Character Timeline in The Name of the Rose
The timeline below shows where the character Benno of Upsala appears in The Name of the Rose. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
First Day
...meet Berengar of Arundel, Malachi’s assistant. They also meet Venantius of Salvemec, a translator, and Benno of Uppsala, a rhetorician. Malachi explains that the library is a labyrinth and only the...
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Second Day
Meanwhile, William questions Benno, who recounts a strange interaction that occurred in the scriptorium a few days earlier. During...
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William tries to examine Venantius’s desk for evidence, but is warded off by Benno, who asks to speak with him. Benno finally tells the whole truth of what he...
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Fifth Day
...dragged away, he shouts at Malachi, who responds “I will do nothing to harm you.” Benno whispers to William and Adso that he saw Malachi hiding in the infirmary before Remigio...
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Left alone in the infirmary, William, Adso, and Benno search for the “strange book” that Severinus had mentioned. William thinks they are looking for...
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...hostility towards him in particular. Ubertino takes his advice and flees that night. After supper, Benno admits that he stole the forbidden book from the infirmary and returned it to the...
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Sixth Day
...end.” Nicholas is appointed cellarer to replace Remigio, but the post of librarian remains vacant. Benno is told to ensure that the scriptorium continues to function. Alinardo, Aymaro, and a group...
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William asks Benno whether anyone mentioned the Coena in the discussion about riddles. Benno confirms that Venantius did,...
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...Italian monks are clustered together, whispering, and Jorge heads toward the chapter house with Nicholas. Benno tells them that the scriptorium is in chaos and no one is working. William suggests...
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That night, Jorge is absent from vespers. Benno is also absent (he is closing the scriptorium), along with Nicholas (who is making dinner)...
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Seventh Day
...the time they are given directions, it is no longer possible to enter the library. Benno cries out in despair and plunges into the smoke. Adso never sees Benno again, so...
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