30 pages • 1 hour read
AnonymousA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
In “Dream of the Rood,” the rood symbolizes Christ, his sacrifice, and the salvation he offers humanity. The rood is also a mediator between Christ and human beings: The rood clarifies this when it says that God “worthied [it] above foresty trees” (Line 92), just as he chose Mary above all women. Like Mary, the rood too is an object of devotion, a mediator for Christ, just like Christ himself is humankind’s mediator before God.
The rood attains this exalted status because it experiences Christ’s pain: The rood describes how it was slick with the blood of the savior, and how the nails that pierced the flesh of Christ wounded the rood as well. Since the poem presents Christ’s suffering as inseparable from his triumph, the rood is a symbol of victory in sacrifice. The rood is both a “beacon” (Line 7a), studded with gems and “gotten in gold” (Line 6b), and a bleeding figure filled with “traumas / wretched and old” (Line 19). It is symbolic of eternity because it unites the past—Christ’s Passion—and the present and future—his triumph. It is a symbol of transformation because it goes from being a tree in the forest, to an instrument of torture, to an object of veneration.
By Anonymous
Arabian Nights
Arabian Nights
Anonymous
Arden of Faversham
Arden of Faversham
Anonymous
A Woman in Berlin
A Woman in Berlin
Anonymous
Bible (New Testament)
Bible (New Testament): English Standard Version
Anonymous
Bible: Old Testament
Bible: Old Testament: English Standard Version
Anonymous
Deuteronomy
Deuteronomy
Anonymous
Diary of an Oxygen Thief
Diary of an Oxygen Thief
Anonymous
Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep
Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep
Anonymous
Everyman
Everyman
Anonymous
Hebrew Bible
Hebrew Bible
Anonymous
Holy Bible
Holy Bible
Anonymous
Homeric Hymns
Homeric Hymns
Anonymous
Judith
Judith
Anonymous
Laxdaela Saga
Laxdaela Saga
Anonymous
Lazarillo De Tormes
Lazarillo De Tormes
Anonymous
Mahabharata
Mahabharata
Anonymous
Nibelungenlied
Nibelungenlied
Anonymous
Njals Saga
Njals Saga
Anonymous
One Thousand and One Nights
One Thousand and One Nights
Anonymous
Popol Vuh
Popol Vuh
Anonymous