The Name of the Rose

The Status Quo at 2 minutes (2% through the runtime) establishes William of Baskerville and his novice Adso arrive at the isolated Benedictine monastery in the Italian Alps, a place of scholarly pursuit but also rigid orthodoxy, establishing William as a logical, empirical investigator in a world governed by faith and fear.. Structural examination shows that this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.

The inciting incident occurs at 15 minutes when William is officially tasked by the Abbot to investigate the suspicious death before the Inquisition arrives, transforming his visit from diplomatic mission to murder investigation and placing him in a dangerous position between truth-seeking and political survival.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.

The First Threshold at 33 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This indicates the protagonist's commitment to William makes the active choice to penetrate the forbidden library's labyrinth despite warnings and prohibitions, committing himself fully to uncovering the truth regardless of the personal and spiritual dangers, marking his complete entry into the investigative world., moving from reaction to action.

At 65 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Significantly, this crucial beat William discovers that all victims had blackened fingers and tongues, revealing that the murders are connected to a specific poisoned book - a false victory as he thinks he's solving the case, but this knowledge actually puts him and Adso in mortal danger from the true killer., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.

The Collapse moment at 98 minutes (75% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, The peasant girl and other innocents are sentenced to be burned at the stake by Bernardo Gui. William fails to save them through logic and evidence, representing the death of reason and the triumph of fear and dogma - his darkest moment of powerlessness., demonstrates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.

The Second Threshold at 104 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. William synthesizes all clues and realizes that Jorge, the blind librarian, is the killer protecting a forbidden book - the lost second volume of Aristotle's Poetics on comedy. Armed with this knowledge, he confronts Jorge in the library's heart., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.