Comparing Song Of Roland And The Fellowship Of The Ring
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Examining How Time Period Affects Literary Content and Devices: A Comparison of The Song of Roland and The Fellowship of The Ring Historians generally agree that the Middle ages were a dark and brutal period in human history, yet ironically modern culture has become fixated on the epic fantasy genre revolving around the Middle ages. The Song of Roland and The Fellowship of the Ring both represent different viewpoints of the middle ages. The Song of Roland is an authentic medieval epic depicting a battle between Charlemagne’s army, led by Roland, against the Spaniards. In comparison, The Fellowship of the Ring is often perceived as a modern epic; it tells the story of a hopeless quest led by a hobbit named Frodo fighting against unbeatable odds to save middle earth from the…show more content… Although the modern fantastical view of the middle ages, as demonstrated by J.R.R. Tolkien in The Fellowship of the Ring, upon initial inspection appears to have nothing in common with authentic medieval texts, such as Song of Roland, upon further inspection many similarities render them far more alike than distinct.
One such commonality between The Fellowship of the Ring and The Song of Roland is the presence of an object of power. This object is relatively apparent in The Fellowship of the Ring, as it is the One Ring, and although it is slightly harder to determine in The Song of Roland, Roland’s sword Durandal acts as a symbol of power and a representation of Roland’s culture. Although the uses for these objects are unique, analyzing the texts reveals that both represent power. Tolkien's opinion is that the ring, and power in general, is “so powerful, that in the end it utterly overcomes anyone of mortal race who possessed it.” (Tolkien, 56) and so it must