In the Song of Roland, ideal characteristics of a knight are identified mainly with having skill as a horseman and fighting on the battlefield. The idea of an armored knight is closely descended from the equites class of Rome. Knights were closely tied to the various fiefdoms and to the church. A knight was expected to have courage, honor, selflessness, respect, honesty, and many other characteristics of how a perfect knight was seen such as Roland, Oliver, and Thierry in the Song of Roland. Many
History initially was learned by being passed down through the different generations by the use of stories and songs. This was necessary because the majority of people were uneducated, and in order to pass on information it had to be done verbally. Stories and songs during the crusades not only told of past events but it also evolved into a way to illuminate the Christian religion as a just cause against the pagan Muslims. This religious fervor at the time birthed many famous tales with one of them
In the poem The Song of Roland, the author relates the spectacular fight between King Charlemagne’s army, the Franks, and the Muslim Saracens. The poem tells a story of blood, death, loyalty and honor. Around 1095, the year in which the First Crusade was initiated, we find the first extant version of this great French epic. While there is truth deeply rooted in the poem, much was emphasized and embellished to attract followers in the crusades. Despite appearing as propaganda, the author succeeded
Throughout the epic poem, The Song of Roland, the poet essentially dissects the idea of good versus evil as it is represented in contrast between the two opposing armies. Good being the French Christian army led by Charlemagne and on the contrary, the Muslim Sacarens led by Marsile and Baligant representing evil. While the battle between good and evil and Christian versus Muslim wages on throughout the text, the poet also illustrates the characteristics of the true and fake virtues that compose
The Song of Roland and Ywain: A Changing Society as Viewed Through Its Literature When comparing the epic poem of The Song of Roland to the romantic literature of Ywain, the differences between the early medieval period and the high medieval period become evident. Both The Song of Roland and Ywain depicts the societies from which each story derives its fundamental characteristics. Through close observation, one is able to see the shifts in customs and mentality that make the move from the epic