Q: Deeply analysis to the Ancient Mariner in “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” by Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
“The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” is a narrative poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, written in 1797–98. Which was first published in 1798 in the first edition of “Lyrical Ballads.” It tells the story of a sailor, who compelled to tell his tale, and recounts a supernatural experience at sea. It is heavily invested in Romantic ideas, and draws on both early explorers and contemporary accounts of wild discoveries and sea journeys. The poem explores, “guilt, redemption, and the interconnectedness of all living things.” The old man may have been Fletcher Christian, who led the 1789 mutiny on the HMS Bounty.
Coleridge’s poem, “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” contains around 625 lines. It is a narrative poem with a ballad-like quality. The poem is divided into seven parts, and each part is called a “rime” (rhyme). The structure includes the use of archaic language and a distinct rhyme scheme. The poem is written in ballad form with alternating lines of iambic tetrameter and iambic trimeter. The poem’s function is somewhat similar, though artistically more subtle, to the function of point of view in Robert Browning’s masterpiece, “The Ring and The Book”, where the story is told and retold by the various participants in the action.
At the beginning of the poem, a wedding guest's path is intercepted by a grizzled and haunted mariner who compels him to hear a chilling tale. Elif Harris, who wrote an article titled “Significance of the Wedding-Guest in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” Harris argues that the wedding guest is an important element of the poem. Driven by ambition, the ship strays south defying warnings from unseen forces. Their luck shifts upon encountering an albatross, a seemingly beautiful omen hailed by the crew. Yet, in a moment of his senseless defiance, “Why look’st thou so?’—With my cross-bowI shot the ALBATROSS.”
Nature unleashes its fury as the ship beckons a relentless curse. After killing the bird, “The Sun now rose upon the right: Out of the sea came he, Still hid in mist, and on the left--/Went down into the sea.” The crew blames the mariner, and hangs the lifeless albatross around his neck as a symbol of his transgression. On the other hand, they elicit, “Water, water, every where, And all the boards did shrink.” One by one, the sailors perish their deathly stares accusing the mariner of their death. He descends into a desolate landscape, and tormented by guilt and hallucinations of ghostly creatures.
Amidst the despair, a glimmer of hope arrives in the form of a phantom ship manned by Death-in-life and Life-in-Death, and “Her lips were red, her looks were free--/Her locks were yellow as gold: Her skin was as white as leprosy, --/The Night-mare LIFE-IN-DEATH was she.” They roll dice for the crew’s souls; leaving the mariner cursed to wander and tell his tale of folly. Through suffering and isolation, the mariner undergoes a profound transformation. He experiences a moment of spiritual awakening, recognizing the sanctity of all life and repenting for his fatal act. With this newfound grace, he finds solace in the beauty of the ocean and its creatures are whispering blessings upon the water snakes he once reviled.
One night, a wondrous vision appears: a hermit guides the mariner back to civilization, where he receives absolution and the burden of the albatross lifts. Though forever marked by his ordeal, the mariner becomes a wandering preacher, and compelled to share his cautionary tale; instill reverence for nature’s delicate balance. He becomes a living testament to the consequences of hubris and the potential for redemption through spiritual awakening.
Throughout the poem, “The ancient Mariner inhospitably killeth the pious bird of good omen.” It is simultaneously a tale of adventure, of romance, of horror, of joy, of comedy, of tragedy. And It is a study in paradox: the characters of Life-in-Death and Death-in-Life, introduced in Part III, and it represents a paradoxical pairing, which is symbolizing the dual nature of existence and the intertwining of life and death. The Mariner’s shooting of the albatross brings a curse upon the ship’s crew, leading to suffering and death. However, the Mariner’s later penance and spiritual transformation bring about redemption. In combination, In the Bible, Cain kills Abel, and God punishes Cain by condemning him to wander in the world.
To conclude, Coleridge’s poem, “The Rime of The Ancient Mariner” reflects a deep connection between humanity and the natural world. The Mariner’s journey can be seen as a symbolic quest for atonement for his sinful act. The Mariner moves from a state of spiritual death to a renewed connection with God and nature. According to B. R. McElderry, “The importance of the Wedding-Guest as auditor in the poem.” However, his encounter with the Mariner interrupts this celebration, introducing a somber and cautionary tale. In accordance with, Thomas Burnet, “I readily believe that there more invisible than visible natures in the universe. But who will explain us for family and relations and distinguishing features and functions of each?”
Comments