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

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