The Song of Roland
By: Hunter Clark, Ethan Sims, and Alex Terry
Type of Epic Poem:
The song of Roland is a folk epic poem that is translated by John O'Hagan
The 4 Elements
Hero- The hero of the story is Roland who is the rearguard for Charlemagne's army.
Hero's Quest- Roland must lead Charlemagne's army against the Saracens city of Saragossa which is under the rule of King Marsile.
Epic Conflict-The conflict is that Roland's step father, Ganelon planned with the assurances to ambush the rearguard because he fears that he will be murdered by the enemy.
Divine Intervention- Saints in the story take Roland to paradise after his death.
Background/ Culture
- The song of Roland is the oldest remaining poem.
- There is no original author of The Song of Roland nor is there a date that it was written.
- Some scholars say that it was used for propaganda to encourage Christians to go to war against Islam.
Characteristics
- The song of Roland has a serious tone throughout the poem. Example:
- The Song of Roland was supposed to be sung, as you can tell from the title.
- This epic poem was written during a stage of struggle during the Moslem (Muslim) invasion of Europe.
Song of Roland Claymation