Genre
Monastic Rule
Setting and Context
Monastic communities in Europe in 516 AD
Narrator and Point of View
St. Benedict of Nursia is the author of this Rule, and his intentions for his monasteries are clear: a community of self-denial in pursuit of holiness in the manner of Christ.
Tone and Mood
Straightforward, strict, benevolent
Protagonist and Antagonist
The Rule is intended for monks trying to live holy lives, so these men are essentially the protagonists. The antagonists would be the threats and temptations of the world and of the flesh, and St. Benedict's Rule must effectively curb these while allowing the monks some little freedom.
Major Conflict
St. Benedict describes the conflicts between holiness and sin, and he includes exhortations to holiness and punishments for sin throughout his Rule.
Climax
At the end of the Rule, St. Benedict acknowledges that the Rule is not comprehensive, and he encourages the monks to live holy lives and attain the higher level of understanding that will allow them full knowledge of how the monastery should be run.
Foreshadowing
The Rule begins with the line, "Listen, my son, to your master's precepts, and incline the ear of your heart." This, along with being a quotation from Psalm 4:20, is foreshadowing: St. Benedict is about to lay down some wisdom, and he advises the monks to take heed.
Understatement
"What can be sweeter to us, dear brethren, than this voice of the Lord inviting us?" (Prologue)
Allusions
St. Benedict makes numerous allusions to various Scriptural passages from both the Old and New Testaments throughout his Rule. He references the Psalms, the Law, the Gospels, and the Pauline Epistles the most, but this Rule is essentially one big allusion to God's intention for a holy life as described in the Bible.
Imagery
St. Benedict thoroughly immersed himself in Scripture during his lifetime, and it shows in his writing. He routines quotes and references passages from the Bible without even deigning to cite the book, chapter, or verse. For example, in Chapter 3 ("On Calling the Brethren for Counsel"), he merely writes, "It is written, 'Do everything with counsel, and you will not repent when you have done it.'" Other chapters have stronger images associated with the Biblical passages, such as this quotation from Chapter 2 ("What Kind of Man the Abbot Ought to Be"): "You were looking at the speck in your brother's eye, and did not see the beam in your own." This is a reference to Matthew 7, but the specific citation is lacking from Benedict's text.
Paradox
The monks are called to live a holy life, and St. Benedict is giving them a nearly exhaustive manual on how to do so. Because of the brokenness of human nature, however, it is actually impossible for them to achieve this perfect holiness, making their efforts paradoxical. St. Benedict recognizes this, however, and gives instruction for penance as well.
Parallelism
St. Benedict's instruction to his monasteries parallels St. Paul's instruction to the churches around Asia Minor in his Epistles.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
"Receive willingly and carry out effectively your loving father's advice, that by the labor of obedience you may return to him from whom you had departed by the sloth of disobedience." (Prologue)
In this quote, St. Benedict is using various words like "father" and "Him" to refer to God.
Personification
"Run while you have the light of life, lest the darkness of death overtake you." (Prologue)
