Within the realms of the Old French “Chanson de geste” (Encyclopedia Britannica Online) The Song of Roland there is a commodious discourse and dissection of the immaculate lineaments entailed within individuals who demonstrates conspicuous acts of chivalry and integrity when confronted with a profound adversity in Medieval Europe. Roland encompasses all the integral aspects of the poem illustrating definitive qualities of an ideal knight being purported as a paragon of virtue in both mannerisms and disposition, with a steadfast resolve to sanction the brotherhood and his resolute devotion to his contemporaries and his intemerate faith in Christianity.
Loyalty and vassalage were key components that sustained the nation that extensively relied on a feudal systems. There is irrefutable evident that the anonymous poet who inscribed The Song of Roland placed emphasis on the culmination of the achievements and successes of Roland and his contemporary vassals are attributed to both their infallible loyalty to the Lord and king Charlemagne. But the preponderance to what made Roland so ineluctably compelling was his dedication to even his immediate subjects that had no conspicuous authority prevailing against him. When he is depicted in an ambush speaking to the Archbishop Turpin in earnest, despite how irrefutably comprised his forces are ’Sir, you’re on foot, I’m on my horse’s back; For love of you here will I make my stand, And side by side we’ll take both good and bad. I’ll not desert you for any mortal man. Go together these Paynims to attack” (Song of Roland) Indicates an admirable sense of brotherhood and an unassailable appreciation for those he serves.
Roland is the epitome of bravery and shows himself to be “strong and proud and ready for conflict refusing to turn to flight as long as he lives” (Song of Roland) when confronted with an irreconcilable predicament at Roncevaux Pass that later leads to his demise, which has been interpreted by many of our contemporary critics, is a highly cavalier and impetuous endeavor when he refuses to engage his horn to summon his salvation from an imminent death. However, being equipped with an ethos that was considered irrepressibly exemplary of his time, Roland’s endeavor to remain steadfast and fortuitous when confronting this siege has been heralded as staunchly heroic. Even when flung into the throes of death, Roland refuses to be dishonored by the Saracen attempting to intercept his sword “And he clutched the horn he would ne’er forego: On the golden crest he smote him full, shattering steel and bone and skull, Forth from his head his eyes he beat, and cast him lifeless before his feet.”(Song of Roland) issues a strong indication that knights refrained from forfeiting battle at all costs and committed themselves without restraint to their sacrosanct duties.
When Count Roland “feeleth his death is near, His brain is oozing by either ear. For his peers he prayed—God keep them well; invoked the angel Gabriel. That none reproach him” (Song of Roland) gives insurmountable evidence that even in his agonizing respite, his service to his Lord and the salvation of him and his fallen emissaries took precedence over his mortal wounds. The prominent factor in this passage is the tenderness that overtook Roland when gazing at his butchered comrades was besieged with a tenderness that induced him to weep, which conveys an irrepressible bond that eludes the comprehension of many individuals by today’s standards.
Works Cited
"Chanson De Geste | Old French Epic." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica. Web. 19 July 2015.
"The Song of Roland. 190914. Vol. 49, Part 2. The Harvard Classics." The Song of Roland. 190914. Vol. 49, Part 2. The Harvard Classics. Web. 19 July 2015.
