An Analysis Of Theme In Cynewulf's The Dream Of The Rood 4j2u3i

Santi Ramdhani 1209503155 October 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 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 AngloSaxon 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

g. Heaven’s Lord

b. Lord of mankind

h. Victorious Lord

c. God Almighty

i. Son of God

d. Mighty King

j. Guardian of Heaven

e. Heavenly Master

k. Mary

f. Christ

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 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 . 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.