Evil within Good
“Dream of the Rood” tells the story of Jesus’s crucifixion in the perspective of the rood. This unique perspective sheds lights on the type of culture and outlooks Anglo-Saxons had while marketing the importance of believing in God. The poem contained descriptions of violence while speaking on ideas of strength, faith, and hope. This creative set up persuaded Anglo-Saxons pagans to view God as hero they should to put their faith in, which was extremely importance during the conversion to Christianity.
In the poem, the rood described Jesus Christ as a “young warrior” (39) and a “noble man” (58) who endured endless torment. Although the cross is not a living thing, the use of personification allowed the feeling of anguish to be illustrated. The clash between good and evil leaves the audience to feel empathetic towards God despite the absence of his background. Later in the poem, the body was taken down and wrapped “in gold and in silver” (77) — a treasure that was important to Anglo-Saxon culture. On the outside, the body is seen with value and respect, but underneath there is evidence of suffering. The use of treasure and lack of peace were ideals belonging to the Anglo-Saxon culture, and the contrast between good and evil were used to attract Christianity to the pagans.
The poem closes with descriptions of the narrator’s desire to seek Christianity and the strong need to commit to God in order to “dwell in glory” (144). The view of obtaining glory was appealing to the audience as it relates to the idea of winning a tribal fight. Additionally, the portrayal of God continued to convey similar ideals of a chief as he was described as “the Almighty Ruler” (153) which was also important to Anglo-Saxon culture. The collaboration of evil acts with ideas of good is what makes the poem structurally unique and appealing to the audience.
