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Santi Ramdhani 1209503155October 11, 2011
An Analysis of Theme in Cynewulf’s The Dream of the Rood
Reading a literary work is never free from an explanation
about theme. We realized that theme is main thing that we
want to know. Read literary works will be more enthusiastic if
we know the theme first. Thus, no creations in this world can
be separated from theme. A theme is always a subject, but a
subject is not always a theme: a theme is not usually thought
of as the occasion of a work of art, but rather a branch of the
subject, which is indirectly expressed through the recurrence
of certain events, images or symbols (Peter Child & Roger
Fowler, 1973: 239). Generally we know a theme of works by an
event that emphasized by symbols or current words. To know
that, off course needed an intensive reading or analysis about
works to know it.
The dream of the rood was written in the periodical time
of Anglo-Saxon (Old English). So, all those poem expressed or
told about anything in that time. It is marked by particular
event that happen at that time such as a problem of religiosity
in ‘the dream of the rood’ poem. So, the dream of the rood
known as Christian poetry. To analyze the theme of poem, we
can see from the certain event or others symbols that showed
the main thing want to reveal.
In that poem, there are so many symbols directly head
for Christianity; I meant that the theme of this poem is
religiosity with main background is Christianity. It is also
reinforced by an event that shows the only evidence of
Christian religion. That is an even in which Christ that believed
as they God, put in the stock of the cross then pierced him
until he died. Then they (people who believe Christ as their
God) chopped him down to the Earth and revered to him. I
think that is enough to claim that its poem is Christian one.
This story told from point of view of the dreamer and the rood.
The rood as well as told all happens there. He (the rood) knew
the feeling of Christ and also he told his own feeling when he
lifted up with the mighty King (Christ).
Here are some lines tell the event;
It is started in line 44, in which Christ forced to be put on the cross.
A cross I became; lifted up with mighty King,
the Heavenly Master; but yet I dared not bend
with dark nails they pierced me: on me the scars of visible,
the open and malicious wounds
Christ was on the Cross. 55
His corpse grew cold, that lovely body. 73
Then men chopped us down to the Earth;
That was such a terrible event!
But now is the time that I be revered far and wide, 80
By men throughout the Earth and all this glorious creation,
Should pray to his beacon. On me son of God did suffer;
for that I glorious now tower under heaven,
that I might heal each and everyone that shows awe of me.
He then to Heaven ascended. 103
To here again on this middle Earth shall come to mankind
On Doomsday the Lord himself,
At least, all those lines tell how Christ forced to be put on
the Cross then chopped on the Earth to be revered. Overall,
this poem shows the Dreamer’s account of his vision of the
Cross and the Rood’s monologue describing the Crucifixion.
By all the lines that prove the event of Christian religious,
then I would propose the whole theme that is in the poem.
Some critics have contended that the poet had
knowledge of the imagery of warfare.
The term of warfare itself used as depicting of conflict in
which Christ and the Rood forced by men to be crossed.
Others believe that the composer of the poem must have
been well acquainted with religious and ecclesiastical.
The representation of the Crucifixion as a battle.
In the metaphoric battle within the poem, Christ and the
Cross are warriors. The existence of those can called as
heroic elements. It is because; usually the term of
religiosity in Anglo-Saxon cannot be separated with the
term of heroic. For example is Beowulf. Within the poem,
there is a struggle between the heroic values and
Christian ethics in which the poet serves as a mediator.
Beside event, some words also show signs of
Christianity to strength the theme of religiosity. There are;
a. Angel of God
b. Lord of mankind
c. God Almighty
d. Mighty King
e. Heavenly Master
f. Christ
g. Heaven’s Lord
h. Victorious Lord
i. Son of God
j. Guardian of Heaven
k. Mary
l. Heavenly Father
I can make a conclusion that those words are directed to
Christian because I know that only Christian that has a concept
of Trinity those are Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. That
concept is revealed by Saint Augustine in Plato: On Christian
Doctrin, book one (Hazard Adams, 1991: 109). Those words
are enough to prove and to strength elements of Christian
religion. For me, it is enough to determine that theme of this
poem is religious one and concern in Christianity.
On the other sides, symbols in this poem show their own
meaning that concern to the explanation about Christianity.
The main symbol is tree. One of the essential points of
encounter in the Germanic context was precisely that of the
Tree and of the Cross. The Tree/Cross, itself being a symbol
par excellence, represents openness, revelation, and refers to
polarities and the utmost limits of existence. The horizontal
and vertical dimensions, transcendence and immanence, finity
with infinity meet there. The symbol itself then bridges the
abysmal distance between heaven and earth (Neubauer
1998:16-17).
In the ancient world trees marked sacred places and
each tree was believed to have its lord (baal), ruling spirit or
soul. Significant events in the Old Testament take place near
holy trees. May be this is one of reasons why Christian used
tree as a main substance to make a cross. They believed that
tree also could call as immortal.
reaching as they do at the same time both into the inaccessible heavens and into the unknowable underworld. Trees are mortal and may be felled, but they also may survive for time out of mind and are often venerated for their great age and near immortal status (Fee 2001:111-112).
Furthermore, in the biblical tradition, there are of course
the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge, symbols that are
reflected and transmuted in the form of the Cross of Christ.
Anglo-Saxon Society’s Influence on the Poem
o However, Christianity would have been in England for
approximately 100 years prior to the composition of the
poem, the blend of ecclesiastical and heroic elements in
the piece reveals that the poet was well acquainted with
both the pagan and Christian segments of Anglo-Saxon
society. Actually, long time ago before Christianity came
into English, there is a religion named pagan or
paganism. We know that paganism, beliefs and practices
associated with the worship of nature. Paganism may
take many forms, including pantheism (belief that the
whole of reality is divine), polytheism (belief in many
gods), and animism (belief that natural features of the
world are invested with divine power). Historically, the
adherents of the three major monotheistic religions
(Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) have applied the term
to the indigenous religions they encountered in the
course of their expansion (Ms. Student Encarta ®2008
library).
In some aspects, there are some similarities between
pagan and Christian. First is the symbol of the cross that
have been used as pagan Egyptian symbols then
adopted by Christian. The meaning of it itself at least has
same interpretation. Second is the new paganism is the
virtual divinization of man, the religion of man as the new
God. One of its popular slogans, repeated often by
Christians, is "the infinite value of the human person." Its
aim is building a heaven on earth, a secular salvation.
Another word for the new paganism is humanism, the
religion that will not lift up its head to the heavens but
stuffs the heavens into its head. In fact that pagan and
Christian are dominant segments of Anglo Saxon society.
o By depicting Christ as warrior, and through use of both
heroic and ecclesiastical diction, the poem serves as an
instrument of mediation in the struggle between the two
dominant segments of Anglo-Saxon society.
o As some scholars assert, heroic themes were sometimes
of interest within ecclesiastical walls, and a common
Anglo-Saxon convention was to treat Christian subject
matter in terms of heroic themes.
o The Cross is a loyal retainer and Christ represents an
earthly lord, the connection between the two major
components of Anglo-Saxon society were obviously on
the mind of the poet as he utilized the formulas of heroic
poetry and applied them to Christian subjects.
o The veneration with which the Old English poet glorifies
Christ as an earthly lord and warrior cannot be
considered in itself a derivative solely of the poetic
imagination, as the poet drew upon the two dominant
segments of his society.
o Essentially, the poet did not rely on one part of Anglo-
Saxon society or the other in composing the poem,
rather, he skillfully borrowed from both worlds in order to
strengthen the message of Salvation in The Dream of the
Rood.
References:
Child, Peter & Roger Fowler. 1973. A Routledge Dictionary of
Literary Terms. United States of America: Routledge
Adams, Hazard. 1991. Critical Theory Since Plato. USA:
Harcourt Brace Jovanovich College
Fee, C. R., Leeming, D. A. (2001): Gods, Heroes, and Kings:
the Battle for Mythic Britain, Oxford, New York: Oxford
University Press.
Neubauer, Zdeněk (1998): Golem a jiná vyprávění o
symbolech a podivuhodných setkáních, Praha: Sus liberans
ed. Malvern
Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2008. © 1993-2007 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.