Epic Chanson De Roland example essay topic
346 words
According to tradition, Roland was the nephew of Charlemagne and possessed the sword Durand el and the horn Oliphant. The most famous version of the legend is in the 11th-century epic Chanson de Roland, in which Roland accompanied Charlemagne on his military campaign of 778 against the Saracens in Spain. As the army was returning home, Roland died heroically when the rear guard, which he commanded, was isolated and attacked by the Saracens at the Roncesvalles Pass, in the Pyrenees. According to Ein hard and other sources, the rear guard was attacked by the Basques. This was taken by Encarta, use for educational purposes only, you might want to check the titles or works done that are here for father research on roland. La Chanson de Roland, or The Song of Roland, is the oldest surviving French poem. It is also the oldest and greatest of the chansons de gest e, medieval epic poems written in French. In old French, 'gest e' means a deed or action, often of heroic proportions. A hundred or so of these epic poems survive, dating from around the year 1100 to the late fourteenth century.
In their time, they were exceedingly popular. Although we know neither the identity of The Song of Roland's composer nor the date of its composition, most scholars estimate that the poem was written between 1098-1100. This dating puts the poem's origin at the time of the First Crusade, and indeed the poem has been characterized by some scholars as 'propaganda' to encourage Christians to take up arms against Islam. 'Propaganda' here is a loose term, including a broad range of artistic creations that can intend to push listeners to action or simply paint certain policies or events from a specific perspective.
What can be said for certain is that The Song of Roland seems animated by the spirit of the Crusades, a time when the medieval Catholic Church, at the height of its power, sought to expand Christendom into the Holy Land.
