Character of Roland in The Song of Roland
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The character of Roland in the epic poem The Song of Roland may be partially a historical character, a knight in the court of Charlemagne and a key figure in the battle against one specific ruler in a battle at Roncesvalles in northern Spain. Roland and his followers represent Christian values fighting against the pagans, and the initial demand is that each ruler who comes under the sway of Charlemagne is to renounce his old religion and convert to Christianity or be put to death. The nature of Roland as a hero is somewhat different than other heroes because he is often at odds with other leaders on the same side as himself. His participation in this battle begins with what seems an act of betrayal of his stepfather. One of the reasons for the odd structure of the story is that the people of the time knew the story well already, so they knew that Ganelon would commit treason and that Roland's hostility toward Ganelon really derived from an anachronism--Roland seems to know that Ganelon is a traitor before the latter becomes one. Other aspects of Roland's story have to be considered in light of this odd structure so that elements are taken for granted, suspense is, as it were, suspended, and characterizations can be slight because the audience for this poem already knew each character well. The lack of suspense is evident as Ganelon is introduced, for there is no pretense that what he will do later is now already known to the audience:
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pairing has something to do with the conflict in the other. Roland is Charlemagne's nephew. He is not the ruler but a lieutenant whose prowess is such that he is considered a valuable man on the battlefield. Yet Roland does have an excess of pride that leads to his downfall, for he refuses to sound the alarm when it is early enough for Charlemagne to do something about the battle. He hesitates until it is too late because he is too confident of his own ability. When he does sound the horn, it is to call for Charlemagne to avenge the deaths of his men and of Roland himself. Thus Roland's most heroic act is something that comes too late and that only emphasizes one of Roland's failings, his excessive pride.
This would seem to make Roland a more human hero, though the structure of the poem tends to make him both human and overly heroic at one and the same time. He seems to see into the future when dealing with Ganelon, but he fails to see his own failure or the power of the pagan army. He is infused with the belief that Christianity is superior and so that it can never be defeated, and while this idea infuses the poem and so would be a view the poet agrees with, the way the tale works out brings many of the grand ideas abou
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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1621
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page)
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