Résumé
Résumé de La Chanson de Roland
Go deeper: the whole of La Chanson de Roland
About 2 h 20 min to read.À qui s’adresse-t-il ?
For readers who love heroic tales, medieval history and the roots of the knightly code, and listeners who enjoy strong, simple storytelling.
De quoi parle ce livre ?
A single refusal to blow a horn changes the fate of an army. It tells of an ambush in a Pyrenees pass, where the rear guard of Charlemagne's army is attacked on its way home from Spain. At its center stand a loyal knight, Roland, and the traitor who brings about his fall. The real event in 778 was small, but legend turned it into a war of Franks against Saracens. We follow the story to the edge of the battle.
Dans ce résumé
- 1Seven years in Spain and one city leftFree
- 2The council splits over Marsile's offer
- 3Roland names Ganelon and hatred takes root
- 4Ganelon sells his emperor to the enemy
- 5Roland takes the rear guard and the twelve peers
- 6Oliver sees the army and Roland refuses the horn
- 7Pride, wisdom and the weight of loyalty
Point clé 1 sur 7
Seven years in Spain and one city left
Charlemagne has spent seven years fighting in Spain. Every wall has fallen to him except Saragossa, held by King Marsile. Marsile knows his army is weaker, and he is afraid.
On the advice of the clever Blancandrin, Marsile plans to send gifts, hostages and a promise to be baptised and follow the emperor home. The poem lets us see at once that the promise is a lie.
The poet lays down the moves like a game before anyone plays. When the messengers come with olive branches, the audience already knows they carry a trap.
That’s 1 of 7 key points.
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Go deeper: the whole of La Chanson de Roland
About 2 h 20 min to read.Who’s who
- Roland
- Roland is Charlemagne's nephew and Oliver's closest friend, a bold knight who prizes honour and carries the sword Durendal.
- Oliver
- Oliver is Roland's closest friend and fellow peer, whose prudent judgment contrasts with Roland's hunger for glory.
- Charlemagne
- Charlemagne is the aged emperor of the Franks, Roland's uncle, and the commander of the army fighting in Spain.
- Ganelon
- Ganelon is Roland's stepfather, an eloquent count whose resentment grows when Roland proposes him as Charlemagne's envoy.
- Archbishop Turpin
- Archbishop Turpin is a warrior-priest who gives spiritual support to Roland and the Frankish knights while fighting beside them.
- Marsile
- Marsile is the Saracen king of Saragossa, Charlemagne's opponent, who offers peace as a means of protecting his rule.
- Blancandrin
- Blancandrin is Marsile's clever counsellor, who proposes false submission and accompanies Ganelon on the road to Saragossa.
- Duke Naimes
- Duke Naimes is a trusted counsellor of Charlemagne, respected among the Frankish barons for his steady judgment.
About this edition
Every format is free to start, and print and large print are at cost.
- LengthAbout 33,000 words
- Reading timeAbout 2 h 15 min
- FormatseBook, large-print eBook, audiobook, 15-minute summary
- LanguagesEnglish and 7 other languages
Questions about La Chanson de Roland
What is The Song of Roland about?
It tells of the betrayal of Charlemagne's rear guard by Ganelon and the stand of Roland, Oliver and the twelve peers against a huge Saracen army in a Pyrenean pass, with themes of loyalty, honour and faith.
Is The Song of Roland a true story?
Only in part. It grew from a real ambush of a Frankish force in the Pyrenees in 778, but the enemy there were Basques, and the poem changes events heavily into a holy war.
Who wrote The Song of Roland and when?
The poet is unknown. The oldest surviving manuscript, kept at Oxford, dates from the twelfth century, and most scholars place the composition of the poem around 1100. A Turold is named in the last line.
What is the oliphant in The Song of Roland?
The oliphant is Roland's great ivory horn. Its sound could carry across the mountains, and the debate over whether to blow it is the central moral question of the poem.
Is The Song of Roland hard to read?
Not very. The story is simple and direct, and the repeated scenes make it easy to follow.