overall situation and conflict between the pagan and Christian religions which existed in England at that time. The heavy Christian influence in the poem however, is reflected in the Christian

on the wording within the Olde English text and on the Christian actions of the characters. Larry Benson pointed out the fact that seeing the characters as both emphatically

common thread. And while they are each fundamentally different, there are similarities as well. Perhaps the greatest thread of similarity lies in the notion that the males have been portrayed

a more contemporary context so that readers can relate to the tale, the characters, and the conflict, instead of merely struggling to understand the Medieval English that reads more like