The Song of Roland is, perhaps, the most monumental work of French chanson de geste. It is regarded as one of the most important works of its time period and it tells the story of King Charles, who “has been in Spain for seven full years”, fighting the Saracens and their king Marsille.
The poem begins with Marsille holding court with his baron, in order to find out a decent solution for the approaching Franc problem. Although the depiction of the council does not inform the reader about Marsille’s character or his intentions, at the first section of the poem it is clearly stated that he is the antagonist and, thus, does not possess any positive features.
Surprisingly enough, Charles’ character is not represented much throughout the poem. The main reason for this is that such type of character is quite common in chansons de geste, and public did not need deep analysis in the times the poem was recited verbally. Charles possesses a strong and determined character, and, overall, is an idealized portrait of a wise and just leader. He is committed to his cause, which is war in the Song of Roland and is determined to push on until he and his men achieve victory.
Generally, it can be argued that both Charles and Marsille are stereotypical characters, which are well fit for presenting them in a simple and understandable manner to as many people as possible. Therefore, the actions of both characters are pretty much predetermined by their stereotypical nature and, in a certain manner, are a recurring motif in many similar works. The motif itself is about a positive character confronting the villain, and it features betrayal, deception, loss of someone close and dear to the positive character and, finally, achieving a revenge over all of the enemies.
All characters’ actions and motifs for them are laid out in the plain sight in a Song of Roland; therefore, one would hardly try to interpret them in a manner, different from the implied by the text.
The reader is presented with Marsille, the king of the Saracens, who plots to deceive the righteous King Charles and make the latter believe that all the Spain surrenders before him. The poem presents him as a ruler, who is very much concerned with his own status and position in the world and is not willing to be “reduced to beggary”, so, by all means possible, he wishes to retain his power over Spain. A traitor from King Charles’ side, Ganelon, who is driven by his revenge on Roland, helps Marsille identify Charles’ weakness and put his plan into motion.
On the other hand, Charles acts as an honest and just king to his vassals. He has gained the loyalty and respect of his men through numerous battles and is very much concerned with their well-being and safety, as with his kingdom. He is very close to his men and does not even begin to suspect that any of them could betray their king. Charles’ council is an example of him being patient and wise, allowing all his men to take word as they wish and appointing the most appropriate of all to be a messenger to Marsille.
If one looks closely, it is impossible not to notice the resemblance of the plot to many popular modern books and TV shows, with the characters in them being presented almost in the same way as they are portrayed in the Song of Roland. This proves that the motif represented in it remains strong to these days.
Works Cited
Brault, Gerard J. The Song Of Roland. University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press, 1978. Print.
