Exploration of Themes in The Song of Roland A theme is a subject or topic of discourse or of artistic representation. In the epic The Song of Roland there are many themes displayed throughout the storyline. Some of these themes are loyalty, revenge, and the prices of war on a kingdom. Loyalty is the quality or state of being loyal. Many characters in the epic demonstrate loyalty to another character or to their kingdom. The narrator speaks of loyalty to a religion, "The king who hates God's name, Mahound he serves, and to Apollyon prays: He'll not escape the ruin that awaits" (51). Some examples of a character's l