Song of Roland
Please answer the following questions:
1. According to the poem, what is the role of Charlemagne and the Franks in the Iberian Peninsula ? How does this contribute to Charlemagne’s image?
2. How are the Saracens (Muslims) portrayed? What kind of images are used to describe them?
3. What do Roland's horn (called oliphant) and sword (called Durandal) symbolize in the poem?
4. How is Roland's death portrayed?
5. What is Charlemagne's reaction upon finding the body of Roland?
6. What is the significance of the fainting episodes?
7. What is the role in the poem of Roland's love, Alda?
8. In the Song of Roland, the story of a great king (Charlemagne) and hero (Roland) as well as two villains (Marsilion, the Muslim ruler of Saragoza and Ganelon, stepfather of Roland) is told. What does the work reveal about the values of medieval French culture? For example, what are the characteristics of a hero? What does his culture value in its heroes? What does the poem reveal about the relationship between Charlemagne and his vassals?
For further reading:
Background Notes on the Song of Roland