Half-naked Roland pulls up an elm tree and kills the shepherds (Cycle d'Effiat)
Notice précédente Notice n°10 sur 12 Notice suivante
Description
Roland after stripping off his clothes and weapons rips out the trees with his bare hands. We are at the end of Canto 23 (str. 135):
at the first wank he tore off a giant pine tree
and after the first he tore off many more,
as he would have done with dill, hemlock or fennel,
then he did the same with oaks, old elms (e d'olmi vecchi),
ornes, firs, beeches and yews.
Roland then attacks the shepherds who have run to the noise. He is shown a 2nd time in the 2nd plan on the left, grabbing a shepherd to dismember him. His first victim, headless, can be seen on the left:
Seeing the madman's incredible feats
then up close, and his extreme power,
they turn to flee, but know not where,
as happens in sudden fear.
But behind them the madman rushes forward at full speed;
he grabs one of them and deprives him of his head
3. 3rd part of the cycle, devoted to Roland's madness. 4th stage: Roland is brought back to pure savagery.
Technical Data
Notice #001283