The Representation Of The Saracens In The Song Of Roland

In both of the passages, the characters ' intentions to build or justify their pride lead them to compromise or completely disregard on the qualities that make them a human and humane.

He also thought that the land in the Middle East would be an outlet for the overpopulation in Europe. Lastly, he agreed to send the knights away because it would keep them busy fighting Muslims instead of one another; in addition he kept the knights away form causing troubles in the towns.

At first the hero has no clue of the excursion set upon them, they receive a call to a journey from the herald which changes their life. In the poem, during the celebration takes place when the Green Knight challenges Camelot, “If any knight be so bold as to prove my words, let him come swiftly to me here..” (Weston 6); thus ultimately making this request the call for Gawain. Even though the Green Knight displays this challenge towards King Arthur, Gawain wholeheartedly intervenes and presents himself as the one to undergo the challenge. As Gawain agrees to the “fateful region of both treasure and danger…” (Campbell 53). He is a bit hesitant towards the refusal of the call the Green Knight has exemplified to the knights of Camelot but knows he must do it for the reputation of Camelot. Gawain must decapitate the Green Knight with an axe and in return the Green Knight has a right to deal him another but respite a year and a day Gawain has been given. The hero must leave the community to reach the initiation for the ultimate task. Gawain realizes he must uphold the chivalric code and accepts the task given and leaves the following year. When the hero departs for their quest, cultural values can be examined based upon their behavior. By the time Sir Gawain must depart for the Green Chapel, Arthur’s knights place various symbols on his armour demonstrating the rank of symbolism in Camelot with reference to Christianity.

Going against modern day religious beliefs, in 1095AD the Christians went to war to claim the holy city of Jerusalem, massacring the Muslims in a bloody attempt to worship their God. Pope Urban II’s speech at Clermont inspired by claims made by the Byzantium Emperor encouraged the Christians to partake in the First Crusade in an attempt to liberate Jerusalem. The religious and economic factors were the most relevant to cause this crusade, with some influence from desired political gain and little from social factors unrelated to religion. The immediate consequences were positive for the Christians and negative for the Muslims, but the First Crusade launched an ongoing conflict between the Christians and Muslims which had positive and negative consequences for both sides. There are a number of relevant modern sources which examine the causes and consequences of the First Crusade, but, while there are many medieval sources, they do not explicitly discuss the causes and consequences of the war. In order to fully comprehend the First Crusade, it is necessary to analyse the religious, economic, and political factors, as well as the short-term, long-term, and modern consequences.

According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, vassalage is defined as a position of subordination or submission to a political power. While a vassal is someone who is under the protection of someone with authority such as a feudal lord. This person (vassal) will feel obligated to vow their loyalty to that person in power. In “The Song of Roland”, Oliver and Roland both have a different definition on what makes a great vassal. This paper will discuss both viewpoints on what makes a “marvelous vassal”, why the poet used Roland and Oliver to balance out vassals, and a brief understanding of vassalage and fief holding.

Throughout history, religion has always been a factor for many events, but was the purpose of the Crusades in the 11th-13th centurys purely religions devotions, or political gain? Evidence from Pope Urban II, a quote from Patrologia Latina, and a speech by the Islamic leader Saladin show just how much of a factor religion was during the Crusades. These people come from different backgrounds and histories, yet they still believe in one thing- is was "Gods will" to partake in the Crusades. Pope Urban II was the main reason that Christian soldiers journeyed to the Middle East to fight in the Crusades. Being in such an influential position, people were bound to follow his word regardless of wealth.

The Song of Roland, an epic poem which tells of Charlemagne's excursions into Spain where he was fighting the Saracens or Muslims, is a good example of militant Christianity. Charlemagne, King of the Franks, is a militant committed militant Christian, and it is necessary to understand this to make sense of his fighting the Saracens. As a militant Christian, one of his main goals was to convert others to Christianity. This opportunity presented itself when Marsilla, leader of the Muslims, offered to convert to Christianity if Charlemagne stopped attacking his men. The messenger sent to inform Marsilla actually revengefully betrayed Charlemagne, and thus brought about the defeat and death of the men making up the rear guard of Charlemagne's army. Roland, the leader of the rear guard died a martyr and was taken directly to heaven by angels. In the story, the Christians are seen as good, and the Saracens or Muslims are considered evil. The Christians, whose belief is that good will always triumph over evil in the end,

Anyway, we have to add that motivations were sometimes different, and Madden do not forget to explain that. For example, he talks about the massacre of the Jews that was committed during the First Crusade. He explains that the penury was the origin of this massacre, along with the fact that Jews were “responsible for the Crucifixion” (19), that means they are also the enemies of Christians. Religious doctrines of western Christianity were unique, and were driven, of course, by the faith. A good example of that strong faith is the feeling Christians had whether they won or not. When a Crusade was successful, people would thank God for bringing them victory. When a Crusade failed, for instance the Second Crusade, which was a disaster, Saint Bernard quoted the Old Testament to explain that “The armies of Christendom failed because of the sins of Europe”, and that “Europe must purify itself” (61). In other words, the pope or the leaders who drove the Crusade to a disaster were not at fault.

In both the Inferno and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight the central characters are riddled with moral inadequacies. Both Dante and Gawain set forth on a journey that reveals the flaws within themselves. Each is faced with challenges that force them to go against their original beliefs. Dante endures a full 180 degree transformation on his views of sin and Gawain is unable to uphold the perfect identity of knighthood. Based on these journeys the nature of the individual in medieval literature is to be in a state of identity crisis because Dante’s views of salvation are based on arrogance and Gawain is obsessed with perfection. The self view of each character provide an element of moral progression throughout the story and the ultimate theme behind each piece of literature.

Throughout history, there have been stories of great warriors of one distinction or another. This semester has been full of them. Some have been gods, demigods, or great men protected by gods. Most have, in one fashion or another, been greater than common men. Stories were created to explain how these men came to be and how most have risen to the heights of kings in many cases. The Epic of Gilgamesh and the Song of Roland are two of these stories that tell tale of great epic heroes. They were both larger than life though both were flawed in different and similar fashions. They share the similarities of a complementary companion. Those companions differed greatly in their own character and judgement.

While the definition of historiography has been slightly amended over time, ‘the study of the way history has been and is written’ appears to be the approved meaning.1 Essentially, from my understanding, historiography is the evaluation of interpretations by historians over time. For example, Geoffrey de Villehardouin’s Memoirs of the Fourth Crusades stands out as a prominent historical foundation, as very few written accounts of the Crusades describe the political, economic, religious and military events preceding up to, and subsequently succeeding, from a [the] first person standpoint.2 Memoirs of the Fourth Crusade is thus reviewed as a uniquely distinguishable, primary source that affords historians with an incomparable written record

Loyalty and love play a definitive role in this early medieval period. It is important to give these to one's friends, lord, and community. However, the love of a woman is not significant here. The romantic love between man and woman is not a trait of the early medieval society; that is to come later. Roland captures the strength of love and loyalty in many ways. As previously stated, The Song of Roland clearly depicts the loyalty between a lord and his vassals. It also shows how going against one's lord, and more importantly, one's community went against the set code of conduct for a vassal. Early on, the writer shows the treachery of Ganelon, including the significance of this betrayal by the loss of the great Peers of Francia. The end of the poem completes Charlemagne's revenge of Roland's death when, for his treason, Ganelon must suffer death. However, the kings obligation is not easily accomplished because the nobles of his realm wish to have Ganelon go free instead of face Pinabel, Ganelon's "champion". The pain of these treacheries cuts Charlemagne to the heart, yet they go beyond just Charlemagne. They are injustices against the community as a whole. After trial by ordeal, the custom of two warriors fighting each other with God deciding the winner, the king's revenge can

The challenge of maintaining virtues becomes a psychological game as Gawain is separated from his peers. He battles foul enemies including “dragons/ ...wolves, and satyrs, / And forest trolls, / And bulls, and bears, and ivory-tusked boars, / And giant ogres” (lines 719-723), but his physical monsters are glossed over in comparison to the mental turmoil that Gawain faces during this segment of his journey. In his “friendless” (line 714) time “nowhere near home” (line 714), Gawain lacks the support system of his compassionate friends of the court. The only backbone he has is in his faith, leading to his prayers to Mary “To end his grief, / To guide his weary / Steps to relief” (lines 737-739) in an act of piety, another knightly virtue that Gawain embodies. Coincidentally, the pious act that grants him the salvation of discovering the castle and brings the joys of having human companionship again also leads him to his greatest challenge: the seduction of the Lady Bercilak.

Throughout the Jenkins essay he uses the Ganelon prosecution which was not read in class, but can be summarized best as Ganelon revoking being a traitor, and stating, “It was Roland who cheated me of gold and goods; and so I made him suffer and die…” (Unknown 1310). His fellow kinsmen asked king Charlemagne to set Ganelon free and Charlemagne is distraught by their words and calls all the men traitors (1311). Jenkins finds most every account of Ganelon and Roland participating in name calling, and crazily in the passage no one seems to pay any attention to the disgrace. Throughout the essay Jenkins finds quotes such as “my poor imitation of a father” (120) from using words such as

One of the ways to define the white Christian European identity is by stating what is not Christian or European. In The Book of Marvels and Travels, Mandeville continuously compares other foreign countries in relation to his own Christian values. For example, Mandeville acknowledges the Saracen’s (archaic term for Muslim) good faith because according to the text, “they have a lot of good principles of our faith” and therefore, “all those who comprehend the prophecies and scriptures are easily converted” (Mandeville, 65). In making this statement, the author is forgiving the people who have converted to Islam instead of Christianity because the two religions are very similar in faith and ideology because they share the “Holy Writ”. In doing so, he is lessening the efforts of the Saracens to convert others to their