Comparing Honor And Valorous Knights In The Song Of Roland And Roland

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Throughout The Song of Roland Oliver and Roland prove themselves to be honorable and valorous Knights. Roland and Oliver are very different knights and have vastly different characteristics. The author comes right out and says, “Roland is valiant. Oliver is wise / Both are marvelously noble knights.” (p. 32) To be a marvelously noble Knight one needs to be honorable and as a knight honor is obtained by those who show outstanding valor. Thus, as a knight, valor means that one is honorable and noble. There are multiple ways that honor and valor are shown as a knight. Roland and Oliver show their valor and loyalty through their loyalty for kin, king, and country, through their hardship of battle, and eventually in their death. Before the battle Oliver urges Roland to sound the Olifant. Oliver does not see winding the Olifant as a dishonorable thing to do. He wants to defeat the Saracens for his king and thinks that they would better do that with back-up. However, Roland does and so he does not blow it. “God forbid / A deed of mine bring shame upon my kin / And lovely France be shamed for what I did.” (p.32) Roland thinks that if he …show more content…

Throughout The Song of Roland both Oliver and Roland prove their bravery again and again. Their bravery is tested as they are preparing for battle, when they are in battle, and is finally undeniable and unchangeable after their death. They are very conscious of what would and would not be counted as brave and honorable and discuss it twice in the book. They have differing viewpoints on what they should do to not shame their country but in the end they had the intention of being honorable, and because of that they were. Since they were honorable in life they were honored in death by those they left behind. Roland and Oliver honored their kin, king, and country, they honored them in battle and in their death and in their death were honored by their kin, king, and