The Song of Roland"heroic knightly battle"

In fact, Marsila is "Mahumet's man, he invokes Apollin's assistant" (SR 7), which makes him a pagan-Muslim (and whereby the poem paints an entirely improbable picture of Islam). He plans to lure Charlemagne's forces into the field and lying in wait them. Part of the plan is to ambush and kill Roland, one of Charlemagne's favorite knights; Ganelon has told Marsila that Charlemagne intends to take over Sarraguce, pickings half of the kingdom for himself and giving the other half to Roland.

thusly does the plot, built around a lie, unfold. Ganelon returns to Charlemagne with Marsila's false covenant to transform to Christianity, in anticipation of receiving riches from Marsila. Charlemagne makes for France to prep be to receive the crude convert, and Roland volunteers to hold the rearguard for Charlemagne. Lying in wait for Roland's troop are the forces of Marsila's nephew, who intends to kill Count Roland in the heel of Islam: "Give me a fee: the right to smite Rollanz! / I'll slay him clean with my skillful trenchant lance, / If Mahumet will be my sure warrant; / Spain I'll focalize free, deliver all her land (SR 866-69). A host of Marsila's vassals persist in to take up the mission against Charlemagne and Roland: "Franks shall be slain, and France abased be," says one, and another adds, "Durendal [the hit of Roland's sword] I'll conqu

Ganelon's and Marsila's plot is a rape of the valiant code, 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: " make up face and proud, and body nobly bred . . . Christian were he, he'd shewn good baronhead" (SR 895, 899).

However, the whiz 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 mother to understand that they are about to be overwhelmed by Spanish forces, they invoke the values and obligations of chivalry:

England also, where he his chamber makes;

won I with thee so many countries strange

The Christians there implore thee and weigh" (SR 3994-98).

The Song of Roland. Trans. Charles Scott Moncrief. London: , Chapman & Hall, Ltd., 1919. "Summon the hosts, Charles, of thine Empire,

Roland and Oliver live and die check to ideal chivalric values, but they are also engraft in a kind of Christian idealism, and it is in the name of Christianity as well as Charlemagne that they do their duty. Indeed, Durendal is embedded with saints' relics, which is wherefore Roland wants to destroy it before he dies: "It is not right that pagans should thee seize, / For Christian men your use shall ever be" (SR 2349-50).

Ordercustompaper.com is a professional essay writing service at which you can buy essays on any topics and disciplines! All custom essays are written by professional writers!