The Name of the Rose

The main protagonist, William is a Franciscan monk from Hibernia (modern-day Ireland) who has been educated at Oxford. Physically, he is a striking man of prodigious height and very skinny, which makes him appear even taller. He has a "beaky nose," a face covered in freckles, eyes that are "sharp and penetrating," and a chin that "denoted a firm will" (8).Adso reckons that William is about fifty years old, an advanced age for that time, but with a tireless, “inexhaustible” energy (9). A man of action, despite his devotion to the contemplative life, William "seemed unable to think, save with his hands," and seemed to learn by touching, albeit with a "delicate touch" (10). Deeply learned, he is a follower of English theologian and philosopher Roger Bacon. He is frugal in his habits, and deeply virtuous, yet he remains in many ways, both to Adso and to the reader, a mystery. In the short timethey are together, Adso comes to regard him as a father figure. We learn early on that William used to be an inquisitor, but that he grew uncomfortable with the brutal certainty he was required to possess, and renounced that role. He is an avid follower of new technologies, such as eyeglasses, the compass, and the astrolabe, all of which he teaches to Adso, as well as to other interested monks.