“Dream of the Rood” Analysis
In the “Dream of the Rood” written by an unknown poet, it centers around a vision that the speaker has on the crucifixion of Christ. More particularly, the vision is focused on the perspective of the cross and what it saw.
The poem is divided into three parts: 1) The speaker describes the setting of the crucifixion, 2) The cross begins to speak from its perspective and its thoughts, and 3)The conclusion and thoughts that the speaker draws from the vision.
In the first part(lines 1–22), the speaker notes how the cross is covered lavishly with treasure and notes how sinful he is compared to the cross. He then observes how blood comes out from the right side. In this context, this is setting up the gospel in Christianity. In this gospel, humans were sinful until Jesus Christ(portrayed briefly as the cross) who was perfect(portrayed by the treasure) came down to earth to die for those sins(portrayed by the blood).
In the second part(lines 27–120), the cross speaks of its experience of the crucifixion. The cross is in awe of Jesus Christ and mentions him as “the lord of mankind”(line 33) and “the young hero”(line 38). The cross tells of the agony and darkness Christ went through when he was nailed on the cross. Through this, the cross is grateful and is honored that Jesus Christ died on the cross. Before, crosses were portrayed as “worst of torments”(line 86) since it represented crucifixion but now, the cross is symbolized as the atonement in which Jesus died for mankind’s sins. In closing, the cross tells the speaker to tell everyone about this vision and that Jesus Christ would be coming back soon.
In the third part, the speaker is changed by the vision. He has a “happy heart”(line 121) and he decides to “seek the tree of victory”(line 126) or seek Christianity. He notes how pursuing Christianity over pursing “worldly joys”(line 132) gives happiness and helps one get a spot in heaven. In this context, the poet is showing the audience how pursing Christianity gives joy and meaning to one’s lives.
Looking at the poem as a whole, it is clear that the poet wrote this to teach non-Christians the main purpose and ideals of Christianity and persuade them to convert. The depiction of Jesus Christ is shown as a heroic figure that died for the sins of the world. From the poem, it is implied that anyone that follows him lives joyfully and has a place in heaven.
