Song of Roland Lesson Plan

Which divine forces appear in The Song of Roland, and why?

Throughout The Song of Roland, the references made to the actions of divine forces reveal the inevitable outcome of the play. After Roland's death, he sees angels descending to him to take his soul up into Heaven. By contrast, Marsile and the Saracens are plagued with the doubt that their gods have abandoned them. These scenes lay the groundwork for the final duel between Baligant and Charlemagne, in which a potentially fatal blow from the former is deflected through the intervention of the archangel Gabriel. It is consequently never in doubt that God is on the side of the Franks, not the Saracens.

Consider...