Cosmic order and conversion in the plays of Roswitha of Gandersheim

Abstract

Roswitha of Gandersheim wrote two parallel series of seven holly legends and dialogued plays in the 10th century. It is in the plays that I will focus on analysing the presence of liberal arts which Rosvita exposes in her plays, to show the way the harmonious order of the cosmos created by God should be an example of moral order in human beings, considered as microcosm. This harmonious and mesured order allows us to comprehend and encourage the human soul to seek self-knowledge in order to find God. In these plays, the complete conversion of the person is only possible through an arduous and painful transition from moral disorder to the order of virtues. The tendency of the will to vice is against human nature, and a disharmony that gradually distances itself from the harmonious measure of the world and an outrage against the Creator.