Plays · Chapter
Epistle of the Same to the Learned Patrons of This Book explained
Hrotswitha addresses her learned patrons, expressing gratitude for their approval of her work despite her humble status as a woman.
What happens
Hrotswitha addresses her learned patrons, expressing gratitude for their approval of her work despite her humble status as a woman. She acknowledges that her abilities come from God and that she has woven scraps of philosophy into her writing. She submits her work for their revision, hoping to learn from their corrections.
Themes in this chapter
Humility and Intellectual Vocation
Hrotswitha repeatedly emphasizes her humility, calling herself a 'poor humble sinner' and an 'obscure woman,' while also asserting her God-given ability to learn and write.
Characters to notice
- Roswitha
The author, who humbly presents her work to learned patrons and credits God for her abilities.
Key passages
“I cannot praise you enough for your humility, or pay an adequate tribute to your kindness and affection.”
Hrotswitha expresses deep gratitude for the patrons' humble and kind reception of her work.
Shows the author's deference to her learned audience.
“He has given me a perspicacious mind, but one that lies fallow and idle when it is not cultivated.”
She acknowledges that her natural intelligence requires cultivation to be productive.
Reflects the theme of intellectual vocation and divine gift.
“I have been at pains, whenever I have been able to pick up some threads and scraps torn from the old mantle of philosophy, to weave them into the stuff of my own book.”
She has carefully incorporated fragments of philosophical knowledge into her writing.
Illustrates her method of combining learning with creativity.