The Tower of… babble. At the beginning of this chapter Renzo is intoxicated by the crowd. At the end he is just plain intoxicated.
Manzoni is embarrassed to report his character’s behavior that night, but he cannot suppress a giggle:
“I am relating only some of the many words he spouted on that fateful evening. The many more that I am leaving out would be too unbecoming, for not only did they make no sense, they did not even try to, which is a prerequisite for a printed book.”
Renzo is redeemed only by the fact that he did not mention Lucia’s name.
Paper, pen, and ink. Renzo is oppressed almost as much by his illiteracy—a societal imposition rather than a personal failing—as he is by Don Rodrigo.
Renzo would definitely benefit from having a wise wife and mother-in-law by his side. He's not doing so hot on his own!
I love the last paragraph in this chapter, beginning, "At these words he lowered his head....*. So much is contained in the paragraph. Renzo's elation and confusion is rendered beautifully. He is doing his utmost to keep his wits about him. He still has enough awareness not to mention names, especially the name of Lucia. He is on the defensive against the mocking patrons of the tavern, as earlier during the riot he was helping in defence. The pathos of Renzo's plight is encapsulated in the ending of the chapter. The paragraph is a glorious evocation of a man in a drunken state, doing his best hold his own in a difficult situation. A fine balance of helplessness and hope in Manzoni's compassionate depiction of a man who finds himself in a desperate situation.