The Trial of Ganelon in the Rhymed Chanson de Roland

Abstract

In five aspects the episode of Ganelon’s trial differs radically from the assonanced version of the Chanson de Roland to the rhymed versions: the location of the trial, the judgment of men, the judicial combat, the choice of Ganelon’s punishment, and the identity of characters. The rhymed text taken as the basis of the comparison is the critical text of Châteauroux-Venice 7. This is a recomposition rather than a retouching of the text in assonance and represents a new reception of the legend, probably in the last quarter of the twelfth century.