A Story of Blood, Death, Loyalty and Honor Depicted in the Poem, The Song of Roland

In the poem The Song of Roland, the author relates the spectacular fight between King Charlemagne’s army, the Franks, and the Muslim Saracens. The poem tells a story of blood, death, loyalty and honor. Around 1095, the year in which the First Crusade was initiated, we find the first extant version of this great French epic. While there is truth deeply rooted in the poem, much was emphasized and embellished to attract followers in the crusades. Despite appearing as propaganda, the author succeeded in assembling thousands of volunteers for the launch of the crusades. In The Song of Roland, the author created the poem to gather troops through Roland’s character, the Good vs. Evil theme, and the theme of loyalty.

One way the author persuaded people into joining the crusades was through Roland’s character. Roland was King Charlemagne’s nephew, an epic hero and the model of knighthood. Roland is seen as a great knight because he is great on a horse and equally great with weapons. During the battle Archbishop Turpin speaks to Roland about what a good knight should possess, “Who bears arms and sits astride a good horse. In battle he should be strong and fierce, or else he is not worth four pence.” (89) This idea of good battlefield and horseman skills is repeated many times throughout the poem. Roland is also seen as a Christ symbol during the narrative. During the first part of the poem, Roland is a sacrificial Christ, who dies freely. Roland does not call for the help of King Charlemagne until he knows that he will die, sacrificing willingly his life for the Christian cause. It is fitting that a member of the clergy, Turpin the archbishop, signals when to sound the horn. When Roland’s demise nears, the religious symbolism ...

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...rotection and revenge should he be killed in battle, which is why Charlemagne went after King Marsile. Out of this vassalage stems duty, it is out of a sense of responsibility that Roland fights to the death against the Saracens. In the poem, duty is often linked to love. The relationships between Roland and his men or between Charlemagne and Roland are marked by deep admiration and affection. They admire each other for being good, loyal knights and therefore are dedicated to one another. The Franks even acknowledged the Saracens for being loyal vassals, “God! What a baron, were he but Christian.” (129), which demonstrates how highly they value a good vassal if they would compliment even their enemy. Because the feudal system was based on loyalty and duty, many people understood this underlying theme in The Song of Roland and wanted to emulate it while in battle.