Epic Poetry; Tragedy
The Song of Roland belongs to the epic genre: long poems that tell the adventures of heroic or legendary figures. Clocking in at 291 stanzas, the Song of Roland tells the story of both heroic (Roland, Charlemagne) and legendary figures (Oliver). Check, Check, Check. For more on chansons de geste and how much of Roland is historical and how much is fictional, see "In a Nutshell."
But with so much doing and battling and killing, this epic chanson de geste also falls unavoidably into tragedy. In casual conversation "tragedy" can refer to anything from Fantine's death in Les Mis to a C+ on a biology test.
But when it's referring to a drama or poem written in the classical tradition (i.e., according to the ancient Greek style), "tragedy" has some more specifications: (1) it concerns someone of high birth; (2) this well-born person has a fatal flaw, like pride or immorality; and (3) that fatal flaw leads to his or her untimely death.
Now, grab a hankie because we're going to see how Roland stacks up to this three-part requirement. The first and third are easy As the nephew of Charlemagne himself and one of the Twelve Peers, Roland is very well-born and he definitely dies as a result of his decision not to blow the oliphant.
But what about (2)? Is Roland's decision not to call for help evidence of a fatal flaw? Oliver certainly thinks either pride or stupidity is behind it. And Ganelon frequently cites his arrogance. Granted, Ganelon isn't Roland's greatest fan, but these guys do know him best. Pure-hearted devotion to God and country or short-sighted arrogance? For more discussion of this (non)fatal flaw, head back up to "Roland" under "Characters."