The Song of Roland

At its most basic, The Song of Roland is an adventure story of heroic knightly battle. However, it also portrays the values and practices of a society governed by chivalry, and it establishes characters with distinctive personality traits who either do or do not live by those values and whose moral substance is determined thereby. Chivalry becomes a feature of narrative suspense in the text because of the subplot of courtly intrigue and jealous rivalry in Roland's somewhat dysfunctional family. Furthermore, the poem brings in religious themes linked to the culture of the Crusades, with Christianity being arrayed against Islam and constantly under attack--only to triumph eventually.

It may be useful to discuss the last-named aspect of SR first. The setting of the story is several hundred years before the Crusades were launched, but it is contemporaneous with the rising tide of Islam from the seventh through the ninth centuries, not only in the Middle East, where it originated, but also westward from the Levant across the Mediterranean and into the Iberian peninsula in Europe. That process was more or less contemporaneous with the historical rule of Charlemagne, and this lends verisimilitude to the poetical text. The narrative plot has the deceitful king of Sarraguce, Spain (Marsila), aided by a traitorous member of Charlemagne's court (Ganelon), sending word that he will convert to Christianity and become Charlemagne's vassal. Ganelon explains Marsila's plan:

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and it is to be contrasted with the behavior of Charlemagne and Roland alike. Equally, however, it must be contrasted with the chivalric integrity of certain warriors following Marsila. An example is the admiral of Balaguet: "Clear face and proud, and body nobly bred . . . Christian were he, he'd shewn good baronhead" (SR 895, 899). However, the principal contrast is with Roland and his de facto alter ego Oliver, who remain steadfast to their promise to hold the rear and true to the code. Even as they begin to understand that they are about to be overwhelmed by Spanish forces, they invoke the values and obligations of chivalry: "My anger is inflamed [says Roland]. Never, please God His Angels and His Saints, 1090 Never by me shall Frankish valour fail! Rather I'll die than shame shall me attain. Therefore strike on, the Emperour's love to gain" (SR 1088-92). Meanwhile, of course, Roland has refused Oliver's plea to blow his trumpet to recall Charlemagne's forces, which would give them a chance to survive but which would endanger Charlemagne. But as the poet explains, "Pride hath Rollanz, wisdom Olivier hath; / And both of them shew marvellous courage" (SR 1093-94). As Roland is furiously dying and his life is flashing before

Category: Literature - T