The Song of Roland

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1095

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Download PDF

Summary

Background

Poem Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Themes

Chivalric Honor

The moral code that permeates later chivalric romances was still in flux during The Song of Roland’s composition. Some characteristics, such as it being dishonorable to attack from behind, as Marganice does when he “strikes Oliver right in the back” (Line 1945), are consistent with later forms of chivalry. However, Roland’s code of chivalric honor also looks back to older forms of heroism and familial duty.

Familial duty plays a large role in Roland’s plot. Roland is honor-bound to Charlemagne as his vassal and as his nephew, and to Ganelon as his stepson. In the dispute between Charlemagne and Ganelon regarding Roland’s placement in the rearguard, this code of familial duty requires both Roland and Charlemagne to follow Ganelon’s suggestion. Roland cites “dishonour [to] my family” (Line 788), for example, when refusing the king’s additional troops. Roland’s trust in Ganelon signals Roland’s adherence to these cultural virtues rather than his blindness to Ganelon’s plans (See: Poem Analysis).

Roland’s bravery in combat and his admission that “a vassal must suffer hardships” (Line 1010) suggest that he also embodies chivalric virtues consistent with those of ancient heroic figures. Like the heroes of Greek myth, Roland “fear[s] no threats” (Line 293). Martial prowess is essential to chivalric honor, which often links victory and moral correctness. This connection appears most clearly in Ganelon’s trial by combat, where Thierry defeats Pinabel to prove Ganelon’s guilt. This link also appears when Ganelon swears treason on “his sword Murgleis” (Line 607), which positions the sword as a religious symbol. Roland’s obsession with this form of honor motivates him to “take care to strike great blows, / So that no one can sing a shameful song about us” (Lines 1013-14). He also calls a particularly powerful strike “a brave man’s blow” (Line 1288), reinforcing this connection between bravery and martial strength.

Ganelon acts as Roland’s foil, or counter-example, regarding this form of honor. Though Ganelon paints himself as brave, he values his own safety over the lives of his family. Ganelon encourages the Saracens to “bring about Roland’s death” (Line 581) by ambushing him. This attack mirrors Marganice’s on Oliver insofar as both rely on taking their opponent by surprise and from behind. Ganelon later states that his deal with the Saracens was him using his “wisdom […] to escape” (Line 3774). Unlike Roland, Ganelon prioritizes his own life over his kingdom.

Nation-Building

Traditionally, epic poetry served as the foundation or confirmation of a people’s cultural or national identity (See: Literary Devices). Though Francia, the domain of the Franks, was already a well-established nation by the time Roland appears, the poem engages in similar nation-building by recounting the history of King Charlemagne’s empire.

The poem depicts Charlemagne’s control over Europe through its accounts of his conquests and through the 10 divisions of Europeans that Charlemagne summons to defeat the Saracens. Roland’s recollection of his sword in Laisse 172 mentions how he conquered all of Europe, from “Constantinople” (Line 2329) to “Ireland” (Line 2331). While in reality, Charlemagne was only the king of the Franks and the Lombards in 778, when the poem’s events occur in history, the speaker depicts Charlemagne at the height of his power, as emperor of the Carolingian Empire. The military divisions Charlemagne summons reflect this extended empire, as they include “Germans” (Line 3038), “Bretons” (Line 3052), and “Flemings” (Line 3069).

In keeping with the poem’s future-oriented focus, Roland appears self-aware of his place and importance as a hero. His initial response to Oliver’s request that he blow the oliphant is to worry “That France should ever lose its fame because of [him]” (Line 1090); he would “prefer to die than suffer such shame” (Line 1091) as blowing the horn. He repeats similar sentiments later when he states that the “the fair land of France will not lose its fame” (Line 1210). Roland’s concern about France’s status as a military power positions him as an emblem of that might. The Saracens demonstrate a similar attention to France’s status, with one claiming that “France will lose its honour” (Line 1223) on the battlefield. Before dying, Roland “turn[s] his face towards Spain” (Line 2375) and thinks of “the lands which he conquered” (Line 2378). This final action showcases Roland’s desire to conquer Spain and continue Charlemagne’s empire-building mission.

Horrors of Conquest

Roland focuses primarily on the glory and righteousness of Charlemagne’s Spanish campaign. However, it is easy to overlook that the poem’s main incident, the Battle of Roncevaux Pass, is full of unnecessary violence and bloodshed. This violence extends beyond Roland’s battlefield and pervades every aspect of the poem.

The poem’s attention to demonstrating Charlemagne’s Christian righteousness (See: Poem Analysis) overshadows a landscape devastated by this same king’s conquest. Charlemagne backs his demand that the Saracens “receive the Christian faith” (Lines 38, 85) with the threat of death. Prior to the events of the poem, “Charlemagne has laid waste Spain, / Taken the castles and ravaged the cities” (Lines 703-704), and has left Spain with only the city of Saragossa standing.

After the Saracen’s counter-attack in Roncevaux Pass, Charlemagne makes good on his threat. Charlemagne and his army sack Saragossa, “destroy the synagogues and the mosques” (Line 3662), and “shatter the statues and all the idols” (Line 3664). They then forcibly baptize “More than a hundred thousand” (Line 3671) Saracens into the Christian faith and kill those who are unwilling to convert.

The speaker’s work to align Charlemagne with moral and religious good attempts to dampen some of these horrors of conquest. The death of Roland, for instance, receives much more attention than that of any Saracen. Nevertheless, even though Charlemagne’s army is predestined to win, the poem presents conquest as a dangerous and problematic pursuit.