The Dream Of The Rood Analysis

The dream of the rood one of the few surviving pieces of anglo saxon literature is a vital reference for the ambiguous culture of england s early ancestors.

The dream of the rood analysis. The dream of the rood old english lyric the earliest dream poem and one of the finest religious poems in the english language once but no longer attributed to caedmon or cynewulf. The poet develops these notions by the use of heroic diction symbolism and irony. The dream of the rood is one of the christian poems in the corpus of old english literature and an example of the genre of dream poetry. In this week s dispatches from the secret library dr oliver tearle analyses a minor classic of anglo saxon poetry.

The dream of the rood in the dream of the rood the unknown poet uses lines 125 156 to develop the theme of triumph achieved by christ as a warrior king bringing the dreamer to realize there is hope for a better life after death. Analysis of the old english poem the dream of the rood which examines the pre christian german heroic elements present in the poem as well as providing a speculative hypothesis as to the intended purpose or message of the poem. The dream of the rood is widely regarded as one of the finest short religious poems in the old english period. Rood is an old english word for cross and poem tells of a pious man s encounter with a talking crucifix which is a novel idea for a poem to say the least.

The dream of the rood has been heralded by scholars as the finest expression of the crucifixion theme in old english poetry. The dream of the rood is one of the gems of anglo saxon poetry. The rood tells him its own story. The purpose of the dream of the rood is to convey the perspective of the tree and the torment it faced as it was cut down and later tortured as christ was with nails in its wood.

The dream of the rood also provides a valuable window into early christian england. Rood is from the old english word rōd pole or more specifically crucifix. Preserved in the 10th century vercelli book the poem may be as old as the 8th century ruthwell cross and is considered one of the oldest works of old english literature. Though it focuses on a motif common in old english poetry the dream of.

In a dream the unknown poet beholds a beautiful tree the rood or cross on which christ died. Like most old english poetry it is written in alliterative verse. The dream of the rood is an explicitly christian poem that attempts to appeal to anglo saxons from a pagan culture.