Dream of the Rood allows the audience to remember the story of the crucifixion and how it made them feel. The emphasis is on the cross and the loyalty is gives to Christ. To connect with his audience, the narrator breaks his dream into three parts. To get the full effect, we must remember how the story of the crucifixion made us feel. Dream of the Rood is similar to Christian George Stevens’ The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965) because both show commitment to the cross. The GSET takes the most time on the scene of the crucifixion, similar to Dream of the Rood. However, both works take a different approach. Dream of the Rood takes a traditional approach; “ I, was stained by sins, wounded with guilt” (13). The narrator realizes he is wretched
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Dream of the Rood focuses on the cross as the “wondrous tree raised on high, wound round with light, the brightest of beams and covered in gold” (5). The poem is unique in describing from the viewpoint of the cross, the dreamer sees the cross being raised up, covered in gold and jewels, yet he notices the stain of blood on the side. The Dream pays veneration to the cross because it was cut down and looks wretched, but still has unity with Christ. Both the cross and Christ were pierced with nails, mocked, and tortured, yet both are honored above all others. On the other hand, The Greatest Story Ever Told takes a different approach to the cross. Stevens does show the scene of Christ carrying the cross, but at the most important moment a woman appears and tries to wipe Christ’s face. The film does not specify whom this woman is in relation to Christ, thus taking away from any emotional impact. Stevens’ decision to film in the American Southwest was criticized for hurting the film’s realism. Unlike the poem, Stevens wanted to make his film modern, while still telling the story of Christ and his crucifixion. It failed to narrate the future, which Dream of the Rood does do, “each day I look forward to the time when the cross of the Lord, will fetch me from the loaned life”
Dream of the Rood focuses on the cross as the “wondrous tree raised on high, wound round with light, the brightest of beams and covered in gold” (5). The poem is unique in describing from the viewpoint of the cross, the dreamer sees the cross being raised up, covered in gold and jewels, yet he notices the stain of blood on the side. The Dream pays veneration to the cross because it was cut down and looks wretched, but still has unity with Christ. Both the cross and Christ were pierced with nails, mocked, and tortured, yet both are honored above all others. On the other hand, The Greatest Story Ever Told takes a different approach to the cross. Stevens does show the scene of Christ carrying the cross, but at the most important moment a woman appears and tries to wipe Christ’s face. The film does not specify whom this woman is in relation to Christ, thus taking away from any emotional impact. Stevens’ decision to film in the American Southwest was criticized for hurting the film’s realism. Unlike the poem, Stevens wanted to make his film modern, while still telling the story of Christ and his crucifixion. It failed to narrate the future, which Dream of the Rood does do, “each day I look forward to the time when the cross of the Lord, will fetch me from the loaned life”