The Wife’s Lament seems at first glance to be a text that portrays entirely the Anglo-Saxon’s traditions; nevertheless, there are some inconsistencies with their philosophy. First, the AS culture revolved around men and their courageous actions; nevertheless this poem is about a woman; a wife. A female speaker is very unusual in AS literature, particularly because she did not carry out any heroic actions. Secondly, even though the allusions to paganism are evident in the text, some Christian principles are intertwined in the verses. Words such as “Fate” (50) and “ill-fortune” (21) serve to reinforce AS‘s pagan beliefs. On the other hand, the Christian ideology has also permeated the text. Endurance is one the most important Christian values. In the poem, the speaker describes how deep her sorrow is; however, she seems to believe that she must embrace that pain for the eternity (43-45). Furthermore, the concepts of “spirit” and “soul” can be linked to Christianity. Thus, The Wife’s Lament can be seen as an example of the syncretism between Anglo-Saxon and Christian values.
By Cinthya Cervantes
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