Song of Roland - Book Review

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The Song of Roland is a book with great historical significance. It gives great details as to how conflict was at the time between the Franks and the Arabs. It also gives insight to what moral importance war and death meant to the Franks. Although, there were many casualties in the battle there were three deaths that stand out. These are the deaths of Oliver, Roland, and Ganelon. All three men were on Spain's side, each dying a different death, but each death shedding light to some of the Franks moral values.

Oliver was a friend a Roland, infact he was Roland's best friend. In battle Oliver fought side by side with Roland. Like most soldiers, Oliver was mortally wounded but he continues to fight until he can no longer do so and death begins to take over, "His bright blood sprays his body head to foot" (148). Oliver dies because he is a loyal soldier and a loyal friend, if it were not for his loyalty he would not have went to battle alongside of his friend. He also dies to symbolize to Roland that he does indeed need help from Charlemagne.

Upon Oliver's death I realized that these men, the Franks, take great pride in their country and in there army. These soldiers are more than honored to be fighting for their country, that is why even after Oliver is injured he continues to battle and fight off the enemy. Oliver's death also affected me by getting me to believe that Roland would go into "beast mode" to take revenge on the Arabs to avenge his best friends death. I also believed that this death would be the thing to fuel the Franks and allow them to be victorious.

Roland, of course, is the main character of the story. He is the brave, strong arm, honorable soldier that everyone knows and respects. Roland actually dies a non-violent death. After Oliver dies Roland considers something that he did not consider in the beginning of the battle, he considers calling on Charlemagne and the rest of his men for help. So, he grabs his horn, Olifant, and blows it furiously to alert Charlemagne, who is across town, that they are in battle. "Blood from his mouth comes spurting scarlet-bright he's burst the veins of his temples outright" (134). Roland is a true warrior and does not wish to loose this battle if he dies or not so he blows the horn with all his might so that Charlemagne can come back and defeat the Arabs. 

Roland dies not only because he bursts his temples blowing the horn. Roland was set to die the minute he elected his father-in-law to go and make the final arrangements on the agreement between the Franks and the Arabs. His father-in-law, Ganelon, goes and tells the Arabs that Roland rejects their presents and wants war. This is why the Arabs attack Roland and his army because Ganelon betrayed his family, country, and friends. Another thing that contributes to Roland's death is his own arrogance, because when the battle first broke out Roland refused to call for help right away he wanted to defeat the Arabs himself and not warn the rest of the army and Charlemagne. These actions lead Roland into the perdicament where he is forced to blow the horn and kill himself by doing so. 

Rolands death had a tremendous affect on how I forshadowed the rest of the story. After his death I figured that somehow, someway it would come to light that the whole ordeal was Ganelon's fault. I thought that Roland would somehow survive and win this battle and be the all time great soldier. His death made me look at Roland different, seeing as a very honorable man that was true to his people. He died just to inform others that can continue the battle and defeat the Arabs. 

Ganelon was the reason for this whole story because he was the traitor that caused this whole war to come about. Even though Ganelon started this war without Charlemagne and anyone else knowing about it, he is the last person to die. He dies after Roland, Oliver, and the rest of the soldiers that fought in the battle. After the war was over they held a trial for Ganelon in which he was found guilty and is given the death penalty. He dies gruesomely, his body is ripped into pieces by horses, "Ganelon's torment is fearful and extreme, for all his ginews are racked from head to heel, his every limb wrenched from the sockets clean" (289) 

Naturally the main reason for Ganelon dying is because Roland made him be the messenger and Ganelon did not appreciate Roland making him go, putting him in semi harms way. So, Ganelon taking revenge on Roland tells the Arabs how to attack Roland so that the Arabs can win. Ganelon traited and disrepected all of Spain. However his death is not finalized until his trial. Thierry, who is on Charlemagne's side, thinks that Ganelon should die, but Pinabel on the other hand sides with Ganelon. To decide who is right and who is wrong the two men have a battle, a battle in which Thierry is successful and crushes the skull of Pinabel. Since Thierry won it is conclusive that he is right and Ganelon is a traitor so he is sentenced to death. If Thierry would have lost the battle then Ganelin may not have been sentenced to death. The death of Ganelon gave me a sense of relief at the end of the story. I was glad that he did die and that he died at the hands of the people he wronged. 

All of these deaths helped to shape the importance of Ganelon's actions. The one mistake Ganelon made cost the lives of many men. These deaths also showed how the Franks were about honor and loyalty because Oliver and Roland both died fighting, they did not give up or run away, they stayed strong and honored their country. Ganelon on the other was not loyal and did not honor his fellow people, that is why his death at the end of the story is significant. His death shows that the Franks did not tolerate people betraying their country and king. His death shows that the Franks honor men who they lost in battle because Ganelon's death was in a sense avenging the deaths of Roland, Oliver and the rest because it was Ganelon's fault in the first place why they died. These deaths made this story a bit more exciting and a bit more meaningful, by reading in between the lines of these deaths I was able to understand the Franks more.

arles the Great invaded Spain in the year 778. He had been invited in by the governor of the strategic city of Zaragoza, who had promised to turn the city over to him. He entered through a pass in the western Pyrenees Mountains and marched through the lands of the Basques, a people who had managed to maintain their freedom from Muslim domination and who were not too pleased with the Franks entering their land without