The Dream Of The Rood Essay

“The Dream of the Rood” is a Christian poem authored by an unknown poet, around the 8th century. In the poem, the rood, or cross on which Christ died, visits the poet in a dream. The cross tells the story of the crucifixion from its point of view. Making the cross a character with its own voice in the “The Dream of the Rood,” allows the author to express the cross’ heroism throughout the poem. In the biblical story of the crucifixion, Christ is the sole protagonist and savior who died for the sins of others. Making the cross a character not only allows it to be a protagonist, but also to act as a hero alongside Jesus. Simultaneously, the poem’s style and composition reveal it is a tribute to Christ and the rood itself.
Before the crucifixion …show more content…
This entire account is a memory; therefore, the cross is personified through having its own thoughts and emotions. The cross begins its story by explaining how it was hewn from its tree and carried to a spot on a hill on lines 29-30. The word choice on line 30 suggests that the cross felt mistreated by those that handled it, as if it holds resentment. For example, “Genaman me ðær strange feondas,” or, “Strong fiends seized me there,” (Lightspill translation) states the cross was taken by force, to be carried somewhere else by enemies. Additionally, it was mocked on line 31: “geworhton him þær to wæfersyne, heton me heora wergas hebban” or, “worked me there for display, cursed ones lifted me”. The cross describes this experience as a battle-like struggle, and it is comparable to the kind of treatment that Christ endures. Its description of the people who handled him indicates they are actually enemies of the …show more content…
According to line 38, it refused to fall and held fast and fixed in position, despite being mishandled by enemies. It appears even though it is unhappy about its mistreatment; the cross is still inspired by Christ and his endurance. Up until this point in the poem, the cross only describes its thoughts and emotions, implying only mental activity. On line 47, “Ne dorste ic hira nænigum sceððan,” the cross says that it dared not harm anyone, which implies it had the ability to. This is the first time in the poem that the cross implies potential motor activity, which means that not only does the cross have thoughts, but also agency. This draws another similarity between Christ and the cross: they are sacrificing themselves innocuously for the sins of others. They both did not fight back, even though they had the ability