Ticket 13.
Heroic epic of the era of feudalism. The main epic cycles of France
Establishment in the 10th-11th centuries. feudal relations in most countries Western Europe led to the division of society into two antagonistic classes - feudal lords and serfs. From the 12th century The importance of cities as centers of guild craft and trade, which grew mainly from the settlements of serfs who left feudal estates, is increasing. They create a special, “burgher” (urban) literature, oppositional and democratic in its tendency. Folk poetry has reached us in written records made in the 14th – 15th centuries.
The best preserved is the French heroic epic. It has come down to us in the form of poems ( total number about 100), of which the oldest arose at the very end of the 11th century. The poems that have survived to us are called chanson de gesture (“songs about deeds”). They have different volumes. These poems were intended to be sung. Their performers, and often their authors, were jugglers (“players”), who carried them throughout France.
Three themes make up the main content of the French epic:
· defense of the homeland from external enemies - the Moors (or Saracens), Normans, Saxons.
· faithful service to the king, protection of his rights and the eradication of traitors;
· bloody feudal strife.
The choice of these topics corresponds to the political consciousness of the masses of that time. The first two themes are always associated in poems with the image of a kind and wise king.
In most poems, the king is called Charlemagne, who won many major victories and was crowned emperor in 800. Karl in the poems appears in an idealized form: he is always fair and usually affectionate, although, when necessary, he can also be stern. He is formidable to traitors and invincible in battle. His enemies tremble before him, and God is his helper in all matters. In some of the poems, Karl appears actively, personally performing various feats. But in other poems, moreover, artistically more significant, Karl recedes into the background; he cedes an active role to the paladins (close sent knights), in particular to the twelve “peers” (the most noble persons in the state), primarily Roland.
Ticket 17. “The Song of Roland.” Folk basis poems. Roland's image.
“The Song of Roland” is a poem that had a European resonance and represents one of the peaks of medieval poetry. The poem tells of the heroic death of Count Roland, Charlemagne's nephew, during the battle with the Moors, the betrayal of Roland's stepfather, Ganelon, which was the cause of this disaster, and Charlemagne's revenge for the death of Roland and 12 peers. The Song of Roland originated around 1100, shortly before the First Crusade. Unknown author was not without some education. He saved deep meaning and expressiveness of the ancient heroic legend and found a brilliant way to express them art form. Saturation of the entire story with the idea of the religious struggle against Islam and the special mission of France.
Roland's image. Roland in the poem is a powerful and brilliant knight, impeccable in fulfilling his vassal duty. He is an example of knightly valor and nobility. Roland is alien to selfishness, cruelty, greed, and the anarchic self-will of the feudal lords. One feels an excess of youthful strength in him, a joyful belief in the rightness of his cause and in his luck, a passionate thirst selfless feat. Full of proud self-awareness, but at the same time alien to any arrogance or self-interest, he devotes himself entirely to serving the king, people, and homeland. Ardent love for the homeland characterizes all of Charles’s warriors in the poem. But Roland’s patriotic feeling manifests itself most powerfully, for whom there is no more tender and sacred word than “dear France,” and he dies with the thought of her. All this makes Roland authentic folk hero, understandable and close to everyone.
The stern style of “The Song of Roland”, its majestic severity and energetic conciseness of presentation, the absence of the theme of love, intimate, comic, and everyday motives are in full accordance with the nature of the plot and ideological concept. Translations of French poems about Roland, their retellings or imitations existed in the Middle Ages in many European languages.
The theme of Ganelon's betrayal. It reflected the socio-political contradictions characteristic of the intensively developing in the 10th - 11th centuries. feudalism. This problem is introduced into the poem by the episode of Ganelon's betrayal. The reason for including this episode in the legend could be the desire of the singers-storytellers to explain the defeat of the “invincible” army of Charlemagne as an external fatal cause. Ganelon is not just a traitor, he is the expression of a powerful evil principle, hostile to any public cause, the personification of feudal egoism. From the point of view of legal relations of that time, Ganelon’s guilt is not so certain, for, having honestly fulfilled his vassal duty to Charles on the battlefield and during the embassy, Ganelon, formally speaking, could consider himself entitled to then settle personal accounts with Roland, his stepson . In “The Song of Roland,” it is not so much that the blackness of the act of an individual traitor is revealed, but rather that the feudal, anarchic egoism of which Ganelon is a representative is disastrous for the native country.
Karl's image. Karl is a powerful ruler who has won many major victories. In the poem, he appears in an idealized form: he is always fair and usually affectionate, although, when necessary, he knows how to be stern. He is formidable for traitors and invincible in battle, enemies tremble before him, and God is his helper in all matters.
Ticket 14. "Song of Sid". The originality of the poem. Image of Sid.
The pinnacle of Spanish folk epic form legends about Sid.
Sid is a historical person, his actions are depicted in two poems that have come down to us - “The Poem of Sid” and “Rodrigo.” Ruy Diaz, nicknamed Sid. His nickname is the word Arab origin, meaning "lord". Cid belonged to the highest Castilian nobility and was the commander of all the troops of King Sancho II of Castile. With the next king Alfonso, he began to act against the Moors. The Cid was the largest figure in the reconquista. This made him Spain's greatest national hero, a beloved folk hero, "my Cid." He showed great care and generosity towards his people, extreme simplicity and democracy; all this attracted the hearts of warriors to him and created his popularity among the broad masses of the population. Even during Sid’s life, songs and tales began to be composed about his exploits.
“The Song of Sid” is divided into 3 parts.
· First part (“Song of Exile”). The first exploits of Sid in a foreign land are depicted.
· Second part (“The Wedding Song”). Depicts the Cid's conquest of Valencia. Sid meets with the king himself. Sid gives his sons-in-law two of his battle swords and gives a rich dowry for his daughters. A description of the magnificent wedding celebrations follows.
· Third part (“Song of Korpes”). The story is told of Sid's triumph over his sons-in-law. New suitors are wooing Sid's daughters - the princes of Navarre and Aragon. The poem ends with a praise to Sid.
Family themes play a prominent role. Family, kindred feelings gradually come to the fore in the poem. There is a clearly expressed anti-aristocratic tendency in the poem. Sid caustically ridicules the various vices of high-born infantes. The hero is presented only as an "infant", i.e. a knight who has vassals, but does not belong to the highest nobility. He is depicted as full of self-awareness and dignity, but at the same time good-natured and simple in his dealings with everyone, alien to any aristocratic arrogance. He appears in the poem as a truly folk hero.
Ticket 15. "Song of the Nibelungs". The main themes, images, originality of the poem.
In the 12th century secularism arises for the first time in Germany fiction on German recorded in written monuments. It serves as an expression of the ideology of feudal society. Plots of the German epic of the 12-13th centuries. go back in their origin to the tribal epic songs of the era of the “Great Migration of Peoples”. The unification process remained unfinished due to the lack of historical background in feudal-fragmented medieval Germany. Therefore, the medieval German epic is not as national as the French or Spanish epic. The heroic deeds of heroes are limited by personal and family-tribal, tribal and feudal interests. The center of epic tales is the king of the Huns Etzel (Attila).
“The Song of the Nibelungs” is an extensive poem consisting of 39 songs (“adventures”) and numbering about 10 thousand verses, combined into stanzas of 4 verses. The poem unfolds an ideal picture of the military and peaceful life of feudal society in the era of the heyday of knightly culture. Epic storytelling has moved far away from the short story style. heroic song. It is rich in episodes and descriptive details, conversational scenes and pictures of the emotional experiences of the characters.
At the same time, the true features of the heroic folk epic emerge, to which the monumental images of heroes and the main motives and dramatic situations of the epic tale go back. Such are the young hero Siegfried and his antagonist - “severe Hagen”, a heroic villain, an example of unshakable courage and feudal loyalty of a vassal, ready for exploits and crimes for the sake of the honor and glory of his master; the obstinate bride Brunhild, the culprit of bloody strife, and the meek, loving Kriemhild. From the German epic about Dietrich, the image of Etzel (Attila), as a hospitable and kind, but passive king, and Dietrich of Berne himself with his warriors, the strongest and fairest of the heroes, passes into the Nibelungen.
The plot of the poem contains remnants of earlier stages of the development of the legend: stories about the first exploits of young Siegfried, about his victory over the dragon and his extraction of the Nibelungen treasure, and about the wonderful maiden warrior Brunhild. The tales turned into knightly poems of the 12th century. in a traditional fairy tale motif. The inconsistency of epic tales (Scandinavian and German versions) is associated with the usual conditions for the development of oral tradition, with the parallel existence of a number of songs representing different versions of the same legend.
Häusler's latest research has shown that the poem is based on two short epic songs, corresponding to the two main parts of the poem: a song about Siegfried the matchmaker (Gunther's matchmaking with Brunhild and the murder of Siegfried) and a song about the death of the Burgundians (Kriemhild's revenge). The ideal of a fearless warrior hero is embodied here in the image of Siegfried.
Ticket 12. Courtly literature of the Middle Ages. Troubadours. Chretien de Troyes.
In the 11th – 13th centuries. In France and other European countries, a secular culture based on a code of chivalric morality is developing. The cult of the Beautiful Lady arises. At this time there is a reform literary language and versification. The poets of this time were called troubadours.
The lyrics and the novel reach greatest development in France. The center of knightly poetry is the south of France (Provence), influenced by the Arab East. After the collapse of Charlemagne's empire, Provence became independent. The Provençal language developed here from Latin. Provençal poetry is a model for all European peoples. Provençal poetry and language survived for 200 years before being annexed by Northern France. The creators of Provençal lyrics were troubadours or trouvères. Science knows about 500 names of troubadour poets.
The main theme of knightly poetry is love. The object of love is married woman, wife of a feudal lord. Therefore, one of the ideas of courtly literature is a protest against marriage as a transaction between parents. The poetry describes secret love, the lady's name is not mentioned, because... it could harm her. This is a subtle, refined love. The highest reward for a poet is a kiss. The cult of service has also been developed in literature To the beautiful lady. Poetry describes original images, positions and situations. Courtly poetry artistically reflects the enormous moral process associated with individual love. Romance. Chivalric prose developed in Northern France. The French chivalric romance became a model for the literature of other countries. Main features:
· The main theme is sublime love.
· Elements of fantasy are often used.
· The plot is based on adventures and exploits of knights.
Until the 13th century. the chivalric romance had a poetic form. Chivalric romances often tell stories about distant peoples and ancient times. An important place is occupied by the depiction of the emotional experiences of the heroes.
Classification by subject:
· “Ancient” cycle (“The Romance of Alexander”, “The Romance of Troy”, “The Romance of Aeneas”).
· The Breton cycle is a series of novels about King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.
· Byzantine cycle (the main plot is the story of love and forced separation of lovers and their happy meeting, elements of realism are used).
Ticket 21. Novel "Tristan and Isolde". The main themes and characters of the novel.
The work is based on the Celtic tale of Tristan and Isolde.
Tristan lost his parents as a child and was kidnapped by merchants. Having escaped from captivity, he ended up at the court of his uncle King Mark, who was childless and intended to make him his successor. One day, Tristan is wounded by a poisoned weapon, and in desperation he gets into a boat and sails at random. The wind carries him to Ireland, the queen, not knowing that Tristan killed her brother Morolt in a duel, heals him. Upon Tristan's return, the barons demand that Mark marry and give the country an heir. The king announces that he will marry only the girl who owns the golden hair dropped by a flying swallow. Tristan goes in search of the beauty. He again ends up in Ireland, where he recognizes the royal daughter, Isolde Golden-haired, as the girl who owns the golden hair. Tristan defeated the dragon and received Isolde's hand from the king. On the way back, Tristan and Isolde mistakenly drink the “love potion” that Isolde’s mother gave her so that she and King Mark would be bound in love forever. Isolde becomes Mark's wife, but secretly meets with Tristan. In the end, the lovers are caught and the court sentences them to death. Tristan manages to escape with Isolde, and they for a long time wandering in the forest. Finally, Mark forgives them on the condition that Tristan goes into exile. In Brittany, Tristan marries another Isolde, nicknamed White-handed. Mortally wounded, he sends true friend to Cornwall to bring him Isolde. If successful, his friend must set up a white sail. Jealous wife orders to tell Tristan that the sail is black. Hearing this, Tristan dies. Isolde approaches him, lies down with him and also dies. They are buried, and that same night two trees grow from the two graves, the branches of which intertwine.
The author's attitude to the moral and social conflict of Tristan and Isolde with environment dually. On the one hand, he seems to recognize the correctness of the prevailing morality. But at the same time, he does not hide his sympathy for this love. The author is externally saved from contradiction by the motif of the fatal love potion. The novel about Tristan and Isolde caused many imitations in most European countries– in Germany, England, Scandinavia, etc.
The ancient French epic tells about one episode of the struggle between Catholics and Muslims for the triumph of the “true” faith. Having won many victories in Spain, having baptized most of the country, the Gaul emperor Charles faced irreconcilable resistance from the Moorish king Marsilius of Zaragoza.
Wanting to finally end the conflict, Charles gathered a council of his vassals to discuss Marcil's proposals for surrender, whom he did not trust. At the council they decided to send a messenger to Zaragoza, and they chose Count Gwenelon. Fearing for his safety, he betrayed his relatives and told Marsilius about weak points the French, advising an attack at the moment of peace. Because of Gwenelon's betrayal, the brave Roland and his army died, marching in the rearguard and facing a huge horde of Saracens.
IN folk poem the sublime image of the hero, his valor and courage are glorified with delight. The ideas of vassal loyalty are strengthened, betrayal and discord between feudal lords are condemned.
Song of Roland summary
As a result of many years of war for faith, Emperor Charles converted most of Spain to Christianity. From last bit of strength The ruler of Zaragoza, the Moor Marsilius, resisted; on the advice of his officials, he sent generous gifts to the French ruler and asked for peace, promising to accept faith in Christ along with his subjects. Along with gifts, as a guarantee of the truthfulness of his promise, he also sends hostages - heirs of noble Zaragoza families. However, he is not going to keep his word, but he prefers to sacrifice his children rather than betray Allah.
Having received news from Marsilius on the day of the victory celebration, Emperor Charles is concerned. To decide what he should do, he calls his nobles to a council. Count Roland, a young and ardent relative of Emperor Charles, keeps his word while his elders remain silent. He remembers that Marsilius is cunning and treacherous. More than once in the past, he betrayed the trust placed in him; several glorious nobles sent to him as envoys died at his hands. Roland demands to raise an army and march on Zaragoza to take it by force.
The other barons don't like this advice. Count Ganelon speaks for them. He recalls that the French troops are exhausted from battles and weakened, and the land is exhausted by many years of campaigns. In addition, Marsilius is surrounded on all sides, and is certainly blinded by the power of the great ruler of Europe. There is no reason not to believe that he wants to conclude an alliance on conditions that are shameful for himself - just to end everything peacefully.
After listening to him, Charles asks his vassals which of them will go on a return visit to Marsilius. Roland volunteers to take on the mission, but Karl turns him down. The nephew is dear to the emperor, and, despite his young years, he has already managed to cover himself with military glory. Behind him, other barons offer themselves, but Ganelon alone says nothing. Roland invites him to go, as an experienced and skillful person in negotiations. The Emperor supports this candidacy. Frightened and enraged, Ganelon accuses Roland, his stepson, of long-standing self-hatred. He begs to have mercy, not to send him to certain death, not to leave his children orphans and his wife as a widow. At the sight of such low cowardice, Karl becomes furious and orders the count to immediately get ready for the journey.
On the way to Zaragoza, Ganelon encounters the ambassador Marsilius Blancardin, who was returning to his master. The Moor asks the French emissary why everyone loves young Roland so much, Gwenelon talks about the exploits of the knight, but his story breathes hatred. Two new allies are plotting to destroy the hero.
At court, Marsilia Gwenelon conveys to him the will of Charles: if the Moorish king does not keep his promise to appear at the cathedral to accept the new faith, he will be dragged to France in chains. Enraged by these words, Marsilius wants to kill the ambassador on the spot, but Blancardin holds the ruler back. Gwenelon further says that after baptism, Marsilius will receive rule over half of Spain from the hands of Charles. The emperor promised the other half to Roland, his nephew. It was this man who became the cause of all Marsilius’s troubles. He is hot-tempered and arrogant and will oppress him, so we need to get rid of Roland. To do this, you need to wait until the main French troops leave, only Roland and his squad remain, and then attack him. As a reward for his betrayal, Gwenelon receives mercy and generous gifts.
The next day, Gwenelon returns to Emperor Charles with the news that Marsilius accepted the conditions. The military camp rises from its place, only Roland and three hundred selected warriors remain, who will cover Charles’ retreat into the gorge. When the emperor's army leaves, the sentinel Olivier climbs the hill and sees the approaching horde of the enemy. He turns to Roland, asking him to blow the horn and call Karl back, but he refuses. The squad enters into an unequal battle. Having accomplished many great feats, almost all the Franks fall dead. Looking in horror at his wounded and dying comrades, Roland blows his horn, although it is too far away for Karl to hear. However, the sound reaches the ears of the emperor on the border of France, and he turns back.
Meanwhile, Roland kills Marsilius' son and wounds him, but also great hero killed, all his comrades were killed. Beside himself with grief, Charles swoops down on the battered Saracen troops, drives them all the way to Zaragoza and occupies the city, defeating Marsilius. Then he orders to raise the bodies of the killed warriors and take them to their homeland to mourn and bury them.
Ganelon is blamed for all the troubles. He asks for mercy - he demands the right to duel, and Karl allows him to prove his honor. Ganelon puts forward a mighty warrior for himself, he fights with the knight of Charles and loses. The condemned Ganelon is quartered.
Picture or drawing The Song of Roland
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“The Song of Roland” is one of the most remarkable monuments of ancient folk poetry in Western Europe. It was compiled many centuries ago, around the turn of the 11th and 12th centuries. This wonderful story glorifies the half-fabulous war of the Franks with the Moors - the Saracens. This poetic translation is based on real event- a rearguard battle between the Franks and the Basque mountaineers, in which the Franks' rearguard suffered a severe defeat. Many people took part in this battle historical figures, except for King Charlemagne. This is how the “learned” poets of the Middle Ages remember Eggihard and Anselm - noble people who died in the battle at the Ronselvan Gorge. But popular memory made the brave knight Roland the hero of the poem.
How could the young nephew of Charlemagne attract the attention of storytellers and listeners? What is the secret of his popularity among the people? I believe that it was in the character and actions of Roland that the people’s idea of a true warrior-knight was most clearly embodied: brave and honest, devoted to his homeland until last minute life, merciless towards enemies and selfless in friendship, tender in love for his beautiful Aldo. Roland led a rearguard detachment of twenty thousand and had to ensure the withdrawal of Charles’s main troops from Zaragoza: “And now in his wonderful armor, In a sparkling golden helmet, The shield is painted with heavenly flowers, Durendal shines on his hips, Roland comes to the top.”
Roland does not know about Ganelon’s insidious betrayal and that “pagans are galloping around on secret paths on horses.” Roland courageously enters the battle. The wise mentor Gorneval taught him not only to deftly fight with a sword, shoot a bow, throw a discus and jump over deep ditches on horseback. He taught him to “hate lies, help the weak, keep your word.” Tristan also learned from his teacher the ability to sing and play the harp.
Tristan's uncle, King Mark, knighted his nephew, and Tristan glorified his name and family by defeating the murderer of his father, Rivalen, in a duel. One day two swallows brought into King Mark's room a woman's hair, "thin as silk thread" and "shiny as Sunbeam" To please the barons, Mark announced that he would marry if they found the woman to whom this hair belonged. Tristan went in search of the golden-haired beauty. “Either I will die in search of the golden-haired beauty, or I will bring her to your castle,” he told his uncle. Tristan overcame many obstacles: he killed Margomt, defeated in battle a terrible dragon that devoured girls.
There was one thing Tristan could not overcome - his sudden love for Isolde, whom he found and brought to King Mark’s castle, following his uncle’s orders. Tristan and Isolde was stronger than themselves, stronger than death itself.
Because they, without knowing it, drank a magical drink that forever united their hearts both in life and in death. Tristan, as a noble knight, suffers cruelly from the realization that he has no right to his love, from the insult that he inflicts on King Mark. But the passion for Isolde is stronger than the prudence and morality of society. Having learned about the love of Tristan and Isolde, King Mark, incited by the barons, orders them to be burned at the stake.
The common people sympathize with Tristan and their queen. Dinas helps Tristan escape, and one of the people accidentally saw Tristan jump from the chapel window and told Isolde that her lover had escaped. Tristan frees his Isolde, and the inseparable loved ones, together with Gorneval, go in search of refuge in the forests of Morois.
The reason for the creation of “The Song of Roland” was a real historical event and its hero - real face, about which, however, only one line has reached our time in the testimony of a contemporary, the chronicler Einhard: “In this battle, Eggihard, the royal steward, Anselm, the Count Palatine, and Hruodland, the chief of the Breton March, were killed along with many others.” This is Hruodland, about whom we really know nothing, except that he was the governor of Charlemagne in Brittany, “marks”, as parts of the empire were called, and became the hero of the poem, an example of knightly valor, honor and fortitude. The plot of “The Song of Roland” is so famous that everyone probably knows about the battle in the gorge, that the valiant knight did not want to blow the horn, calling for help from the main forces of Charles’s army, and did so while already dying. But here's how the real event was transformed into poetic work late times. In 778, Charlemagne was called to Spain by one of the Muslim rulers fighting against the Caliph of Cordoba. As a reward for his help, he promised to give the city of Zaragoza to the Franks, but the ruler of Zaragoza did not want to open its gates to Christians.
Charles and his army had to leave Spain. However, when crossing the Pyrenees passes, the Basques, taking revenge on Charles for the destruction of the city of Pampeluna, killed his rearguard. “On his return,” the chronicler reports, “Charles had to suffer from Bascon treachery. For, when he moved in extended formation, as required by the conditions of the terrain and gorges, the Bascons, having placed an ambush at the very top of the mountain (these places are due to dense forests, located there, are very favorable for ambushes), attacked from above, throwing into the valley the convoy and those who, marching in the rearguard, guarded the front ones. And, having started a battle with them, they killed every one of them, and they themselves, having plundered the convoy, fled with great speed in all directions under the cover of the already fallen night.
In this matter, the Bascons were helped by the lightness of their weapons and the location of the area where this happened; on the contrary, the weight of weapons and the inconvenience of the terrain made the Franks unequal to the Bascons in everything...” In such an essentially ordinary skirmish, “Hruodland, the chief of the Ureton March,” died. However, everything became an event in those simple and naive times; Moreover, according to contemporaries, Charlemagne himself was very upset by what happened.
Apparently, the very first oral poetic version of what happened appeared hot on its heels. It is impossible to say why Hruodland was chosen as the main character - after all, other notable people also died in this skirmish. But be that as it may, already in the oldest handwritten copy of the “Song of Roland” that has survived to our time, dating back to the 12th century, the skirmish with the Basques was transformed beyond recognition... The rearguard of the French army, led by the nephew and favorite of King Charles Roland, died heroically in the name of “dear France” and Christianity, fighting countless hordes of Moors - Muslims. The main culprit in the death of the rearguard was the traitor Ganelon, who, out of hatred for the valiant knight, entered into an agreement with the king of Zaragoza, Marsilius. For the death of Roland, his friend the knight Olivier and all twelve French peers, Charles brutally takes revenge, defeating a huge army gathered from all over the Muslim world.
This apparently simple story has been transformed many times in countless oral retellings. And much has changed during this time and in the very life of Western Europe. The motives of Charlemagne’s campaign in Spain were forgotten, but the crusades began with incredible battles between Christians and “infidels.”
The poetic imagination of the performers added new characters and additional details to the versions of the “Song”. And life itself made this work more and more epic and significant. It found a response in souls because it was necessary and consonant. His ideals were simple and clear: knightly valor and fortitude, loyalty to the lord, irreconcilable war with the “infidels”... “The Song of Roland” was incredibly popular in Europe for several centuries.
Its variants are known in fifteen languages. In later times, prose texts appeared, so complicated that they even described Roland’s childhood, his first love - episodes that had nothing to do with the battle. In Spain, the plot was completely transformed - in one of the later versions, it is not Roland, but Karl himself who is defeated. In Denmark, the leading role is taken by the knight of Ogier - the Dane, one of the secondary characters in the French version...
In short, the greats literary works and great destiny. And in its classical form, “The Song of Roland” entered the history of literature as a heroic military epic with ideals of valor, friendship and perseverance that should never become outdated.
Sovereign Emperor of the Franks great Charles(the same Charles from whose name the word “king” comes) seven for long years fought with the Moors in Spain. He has already conquered many Spanish castles from the wicked. His faithful army took all the towers by storm and conquered all the cities. Only the ruler of Zaragoza, King Marsilius, the godless servant of Muhammad, does not want to recognize the dominance of Charles. But soon the proud ruler Marsilius will fall and Zaragoza will bow its head before the glorious emperor. King Marsilius convenes his loyal Saracens and asks them for advice on how to avoid the reprisal of Charles, the ruler of beautiful France. The wisest of the Moors remain silent, and only one of them, the Valfond castellan, did not remain silent. Blancandrin, as the Moor was called, advises to achieve peace with Charles by deception. Marsilius must send messengers with great gifts and with an oath of friendship, let him promise Charles on behalf of his sovereign. The ambassador will deliver to the emperor seven hundred camels, four hundred mules, loaded with Arab gold and silver, so that Charles can reward his vassals with rich gifts and pay the mercenaries. When Charles sets off on his return journey with the offerings, let Marsilius swear to follow Charles in a short time and accept Christianity in Aachen, the capital city, on St. Michael’s Day. The children of the noblest Saracens will be sent to Charles as hostages, although it is clear that they are destined for death when Marcilius’s treachery is revealed. The French will go home, and only in Aachens Cathedral will the mighty Charles on the great day of St. Michael understand that he has been deceived by the Moors, but it will be too late to take revenge. The hostages will die, but King Marsilius will not lose his throne. Marsilius agrees with Blancandrin’s advice and sends envoys on their way to Charles, promising them rich estates as a reward for their faithful service. The ambassadors take an olive branch in their hands - a sign of peace - and set off. Meanwhile, the mighty Charles celebrates his victory over Cordoba in a fruitful garden. Vassals sit around him, playing dice and chess. Arriving at the Frankish camp, the Moors see Charles on the golden throne, the king’s face is proud and beautiful, his beard whiter than snow , and the curls fall in waves onto the shoulders. The ambassadors greet the emperor. They set forth everything that Marsilius, king of the Moors, ordered them to convey. Karl listens attentively to the messengers and, hanging his head, plunges into thought. The sun sparkles brightly over the camp of the Franks when Karl convenes his entourage. Karl wants to know what the barons think, whether one can believe the words of Marsilius, who promises to obey the Franks in everything. The barons, tired from long campaigns and difficult battles, wish for a speedy return to their native lands, where their beautiful wives are waiting. But no one can advise this to Karl, since each of them knows about Marsilius’s treachery. And everyone is silent. Only one, the king’s nephew, the young Count Roland, comes forward and begins to persuade Charles not to believe the words of the deceitful king of the Moors. Roland reminds the king of the recent betrayal of Marsilius, when he also promised to faithfully serve the Franks, but he himself broke his promise and betrayed Charles, killing his ambassadors, the glorious counts of Bazan and Basil. Roland begs his master to go to the walls of rebellious Zaragoza as soon as possible and take revenge on Marsilius for the death of the glorious warriors. Charles. is silent, an ominous silence hangs. Not all the barons are happy with young Roland's proposal. Count Gwenelon convinces everyone that Charles’s army is already tired, and so much has been conquered that they can proudly strive back to the borders of beautiful France. Another baron, Nemon of Bavaria, one of the king's best vassals, advises Charles to listen to the speeches of Gwenelon and heed the pleas of Marsilius. The count claims that Christian duty dictates that the infidels be forgiven and converted to God, and there is no doubt that the Moors will come to Aachen on St. Michael’s Day. Charles turns to the barons with the question of who to send to Zaragoza with an answer. Count Roland is ready to go to the Moors, although his advice is rejected by the master. Karl refuses to let go of his beloved nephew, to whom he owes many victories. Then Nemon of Bavaria willingly offers to take the message, but Karl does not want to let him go either. Many barons, in order to prove their loyalty, want to set off, only Count Gwenelon is silent. Then Roland shouts out advice to Karl: “Let Gwenelon go.” Count Gwenelon stands up in fear and looks at the crowd, but everyone nods their heads in agreement. Count Gwenelon goes to his tent and prepares his battle armor, getting ready to set off. Not far from the Frankish camp, Gwenelon catches up with the returning embassy of the infidels, whom the cunning Blancandrin detained with Charles as long as possible in order to meet the emperor’s envoy along the way. A long conversation ensues between Gwenelon and Blancandrin, from which the Moor learns about the enmity between Gwenelon and Karl’s favorite Roland. They swear an oath to each other - to destroy the mighty Roland. A day passes, and Gwenelon is already at the walls of Zaragoza, he is being led to the king of the Moors, Marsilius. Having bowed to the king, Gwenelon gives him Karl's message. Charles agrees to go to his borders in peace, but on the day of St. Michael he is waiting for Marsilius in the throne of Aachen, and if the Saracen dares to disobey, he will be taken in chains to Aachen and face a shameful death there. Marsilius, who did not expect such sharpness, grabs a spear, wanting to defeat the count, but Gwenelon dodges the blow. All the troubles of Spain come from Roland alone, he begins to convince Marsilius, and if he wants peace in his country, then he must not only listen to Charles, but also, by cunning or deceit, destroy his nephew, Roland. Marsilius is happy with this plan, but he does not know how to deal with Roland, and asks Gwenelon to come up with a remedy. If they succeed in destroying Roland, Marsilius promises the count rich gifts and castles of beautiful Spain for his faithful service. Gwenelon has had a plan ready for a long time; he knows for sure that Karl will want to leave someone in Spain in order to ensure peace in the conquered land. Karl will undoubtedly ask Roland to remain on guard, he will have a very small detachment with him, and in the gorge (the king will already be far away) Marsilius will defeat Roland, depriving Karl of his best vassal. Marsilius likes this idea, he calls Gwenelon to his chambers and orders him to bring there expensive gifts, the best furs and jewelry that new friend will take his wife to distant France. Soon Gwenelon is seen off on his way back, as if they have agreed on the fulfillment of their plans. Every noble Moor swears friendship to the traitorous Frank and sends his children with him to Charles as hostages. Count Gwenelon drives up to the Frankish camp at dawn and immediately goes to Charles. He brought the ruler many gifts and brought hostages, but most importantly, Marsilius handed over the keys to Zaragoza. The Franks rejoice, Karl ordered everyone to gather to announce: “The end of the cruel war. We're going home." But Karl does not want to leave Spain without protection. Otherwise, before he even gets to France, the infidels will raise their heads again, and then everything that the Franks have achieved in seven long years of war will come to an end. Count Gwenelon prompts the emperor to leave Roland on guard in the gorge with a detachment of brave warriors. Karl leaves Spain in tears and gives Roland his bow as a farewell. He knows that they are no longer destined to meet. The traitor Gwenelon will be to blame for the troubles that will befall the Franks and their emperor. Roland, having gathered his army, descends into the gorge. He hears the roar of drums and watches the soldiers leaving for their homeland. Karl is already far away, and then Roland and Count Olivier climb a high hill and see hordes of Saracens. Olivierre reproaches Gwenelon for betrayal and begs Roland to blow the horn. Charles may still hear the call and turn his troops. But proud Roland does not want help and asks the soldiers to fearlessly go into battle and win: “God bless you, French!” Olivier climbs the hill again and sees the Moors very close, the hordes of which are still arriving. He again asks Roland to blow the trumpet so that Karl will hear their call and turn back. Roland doesn’t want to hear anything, lines up his army and rushes into battle with the cry “monjoy”. The French and the troops of the cunning Marsilius clashed in a fierce battle. An hour passes, the French are cutting down the infidels, only screams and the ringing of weapons are heard over the remote gorge. Count Olivier rushes across the field with a fragment of a spear, he hits the Moor Malzaron, followed by Turgis, Estorgoth. Count Olivier has already killed seven hundred infidels. The battle is getting hotter - Cruel blows strike both the Franks and the Saracens, but the Franks have no fresh strength, and the pressure of the enemies does not weaken. Marsilius rushes from Zaragoza with a huge army, he longs to meet Charles’s nephew, Count Roland. Roland sees Marsilius approaching and only now finally understands the vile betrayal of his Gwenelon. The battle is terrible, Roland sees how the young Franks are dying, and in repentance he rushes to Olivier, he wants to blow the horn. But Olivier just says that it’s too late to call Charles for help, now the emperor won’t help, he’s quickly rushing into the battle. Roland trumpets... Bloody foam on Roland's lips, the veins on his temples are swollen, a drawn-out sound can be heard far away. Having reached the border of France, Karl hears Roland's horn, he understands that his premonitions were not in vain. The Emperor deploys his troops and rushes to the aid of his nephew. Karl is getting closer and closer to the place of the bloody battle, but he will no longer find anyone alive. There is death and blood everywhere, dead Frenchmen lie everywhere, only Roland returned to the battlefield, he cuts from the shoulder, cut Fal-dron, many noble Moors, Roland’s revenge is terrible for the death of the soldiers and for the betrayal of Gwenelon. On the battlefield, he encountered Marsilius, the king of all Zaragoza, and cut off his hand, threw the prince and son of Marsilius from his horse with a damask sword and stabbed him with a spear. Marsilius flees in fright, but this will not help him, Charles’s troops are too close. It's dusk. One caliph, on a horse, flies up to Olivier and hits him in the back with a damask spear. Roland looks at Count Olivier and realizes that his friend has been killed. He looks for the archbishop, but there is no one nearby, the army is defeated, the day has come to an end, bringing death to the valiant Franks. Roland walks alone across the battlefield, he feels that his strength has left him, his face is covered in blood, Perfect eyes blurred, he sees nothing. The hero falls on the grass, closes his eyes, and last time he sees the image of France as beautiful. After a while, a Spanish Moor crept up to him in the darkness and dishonorably struck him down. A mighty knight has been killed. Here at dawn Charles’s army finds him. The emperor, sobbing, falls to his knees in front of his nephew's body and promises to avenge him. The troops are in a hurry to get on the road to catch up with the Moors and give the last battle to the filthy traitors. The wounded Marsilius escapes from the wrath of the emperor in the capital, Zaragoza. He hears the victorious cry of the French entering the city. Marsilius asks his neighbors for help, but everyone turned away from him in fear, only Baligant is ready to help. His troops met with the troops of Charles, but the Franks quickly defeated them, leaving the Saracens lying on the battlefield. Karl returns to his homeland to piously bury the bodies of the heroes and bring a fair trial to the traitors. All of France mourns the great warriors, the glorious Roland is no more, and without him the Franks have no happiness. Everyone demands the execution of the traitor Gwenelon and all his relatives. But Karl does not want to execute the vassal without giving him a word in his justification. The day of the great judgment has come, Karl calls the traitor to himself. Then one of the glorious Franks, Tidry, asks Charles to arrange a duel between him and Gwenelon’s relative, Pinabel. If Tdry wins, Gwenelon will be executed, if not, he will live. The mighty Tedri and the invincible Pina-bel met on the battlefield, raising their swords, they rushed into battle. The heroes fight for a long time, but neither one nor the other is given victory. Fate decreed that when the wounded Tidri raised his sword over Pinabel’s head for the last time, he, struck, fell dead to the ground and never woke up again. The emperor's judgment is completed, the soldiers tie Gwenelon to horses and drive them to the water. The traitor Gwenelon experienced terrible torment. But what kind of death will atone for the death of the beautiful Roland... Charles bitterly mourns his beloved vassal. A. N. Kotreleva Charlemagne - Emperor of the Franks, Roland's uncle in the poem. The historical K.V. very little resembles the grey-bearded ruler, wise with years and experience - at the time of the Spanish campaign he was only 36 years old. In the poem he is 200 years old, and his appearance is emphatically patriarchal, which is typical for folk tales. The poem also creates a hyperbolic idea in the spirit of the epic about the power of the empire of K.: along with the regions that actually belonged to the Frankish emperor or were conquered by him, those countries and cities that were not part of the empire of K. are named (Poland, Scotland, Wales, England , Constantinople, etc.), and even those that did not exist in the 8th century. (Normandy). K.V. appears in the poem as the embodiment of the spirit of the Crusades: his actions are guided by the Archangel Gabriel; like Joshua, he stops the sun in order to punish the infidels; he has prophetic dreams. In general, throughout the entire poem there is a parallel with gospel parable about Christ. The twelve peers are likened to the apostles, the traitor Gwenelon is to some extent equated to Judas, and in the behavior of K. himself at times a martyr’s submission to fate appears: “I cannot hold back the flow of tears! /Count Gwenelon will destroy my people, - /Tonight an angel appeared to me /And prophetic dream showed it to my eyes." Roland is the main character of the “Song”. His character is distinguished by pride and arrogance, typical of a hero accustomed to winning victories. When he notices that a superior enemy force is approaching their small detachment, he rejects Olivier's advice to blow the horn so that Charles's warriors will hear him and come to his aid. He, as expected epic hero, relies entirely on his own strength. The selfless devotion of the vassal to the emperor, the readiness to sacrifice his life at his first request is the main motive of the “Song”, which does not contain pictures of peaceful life and everyday life, but military councils, battles and duels are described in detail. We learn about R.’s bride, Alda, who dies of grief after learning about the death of her lover only at the end of the poem, and her image does not produce such strong impression, as figures of stern warriors and nobles of Emperor Charles. R. appears in the “Song” as the embodiment of all the virtues that, according to the ideas of his era, a faithful servant of the emperor and a courageous Christian warrior should have had.
