The Rime of the Ancient Mariner- Summary & Analysis

About the Poem “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner“

Poem Title	The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
Author	Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Publication Year	1798 (Part I), 1798 (Part II), 1798 (Part III), 1817 (Complete)
Genre	Narrative Poem, Ballad
Setting	At sea, primarily in the Southern Ocean
Narrative Style	First-person narrative, with the Mariner as the speaker
Literary devices	Symbolism ➔ The albatross symbolizes innocence, nature, and the divine. Supernatural elements ➔ The spirits, Life-in-Death, and the water snake are all supernatural beings. Repetition ➔ Coleridge uses repetition throughout the poem to create a sense of rhythm and emphasis. Alliteration ➔ Coleridge also uses alliteration to create a sense of rhythm and to convey different emotions.

Themes of The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

The themes of “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” by Samuel Taylor are:

1. Guilt and Redemption ➤ The poem delves into the theme of guilt and the need for redemption. The mariner feels deep remorse for his actions and seeks forgiveness.
2. Nature’s Power ➤ It highlights the awe-inspiring and sometimes terrifying power of nature. The mariner’s punishment is a result of disrespecting nature.
3. Isolation and Loneliness ➤ The mariner’s isolation on a desolate sea represents the loneliness that can come from wrongdoing and the need for connection.
4. Spiritual Journey ➤ The poem can be seen as a spiritual journey, where the mariner learns about the spiritual dimensions of life and the consequences of his actions.
5. Supernatural Elements ➤ It incorporates supernatural elements like ghosts, spirits, and curses, adding a mystical aspect to the narrative.
6. The Sin of Killing Albatross ➤ The killing of the albatross is a central theme, emphasizing the consequences of thoughtless actions on the environment and one’s soul.

Characters of The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

The characters of “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” by Samuel Taylor are:

1. The Ancient Mariner ➤ A sailor who tells a wedding guest the story of his voyage, during which he kills an albatross and is punished by supernatural beings.
2. The Wedding Guest ➤ A man on his way to a wedding who is stopped by the Ancient Mariner to hear his story.
3. The Albatross ➤ A bird of good omen that the Ancient Mariner kills, bringing disaster upon himself and his crew.
4. The Spirits ➤ Supernatural beings who punish the Ancient Mariner and his crew for killing the albatross.
5. Life-in-Death ➤ A personification of death who challenges the Ancient Mariner to a game of dice for the souls of his crew.

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The Rime of the Ancient Mariner Summary & Analysis

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner is a lengthy and renowned narrative poem penned by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. The poem opens with an ancient mariner stopping a young wedding guest as he’s about to attend a wedding. The old mariner compels the guest to hear his story, and the wedding guest, feeling captivated, listens to the mariner’s tale.

The mariner starts telling the story of a perilous sea voyage. He boards a ship with a sailor crew. They come across a massive and ghostly-looking ship manned by spectral figures, including a woman who represents Death and a skeleton ship crew, as they sail into the southern seas. As the ghost ship passes them, the mariner realizes they’ve entered a realm of supernatural forces.

Their ship becomes trapped in ice, and they’re stranded in the freezing sea. The mariner spots a crew of friendly spirits (angels) who guide them through the ice. These benevolent beings lead them to safety, but as the ship escapes, the mariner commits a terrible act. He kills an albatross, a bird considered a good omen by the crew.

The crew is initially furious with the mariner for killing the bird, believing it brought them good luck. However, as the ship gets becalmed, and they face a severe water shortage, the mariner’s guilt becomes clear. The crew blames him for their dire circumstances, and he’s forced to wear the dead albatross around his neck as a symbol of his guilt and burden.

The mariner’s situation deteriorates as the ship is surrounded by water, and his fellow crew members suffer from thirst and hallucinations. Eventually, the crew dies, one by one, and their corpses rise to sail the ship, manned by spectral forms. The mariner is left alone, surrounded by the dead crew, under the scorching sun, with nothing to drink.

In his torment, the mariner sees strange and eerie supernatural sights, such as ghostly ships, sea creatures, and mysterious specters. He becomes aware of his sin and the consequences it has brought upon him and his crew. He experiences a profound spiritual awakening and begins to pray for redemption and forgiveness.

After enduring immense suffering and repenting for his sin, the mariner finally sees a glimmer of hope. He blesses the sea creatures he once perceived as monstrous and, in an act of spiritual redemption, the albatross falls from his neck into the ocean. This symbolic act breaks the curse, and the supernatural forces release the mariner from their grasp.

A sudden wind fills the ship’s sails, and they begin to move again. The mariner is filled with gratitude for God’s mercy and the beauty of the natural world. The poem concludes with the mariner imparting a moral lesson to the young wedding guest, telling him that he must love and appreciate all of God’s creatures, both great and small, and learn from the mariner’s own harrowing experience.

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