Paste your essay in here…One of the founders of the Romantic Movement in England, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, was a very influential English poet, literary critic, philosopher, and theologian who left his mark upon future generations of poets and versifiers. His poems were well known throughout England, being recognized by many world-renown writers of his time, to include William Wordsworth, a close friend and colleague. One of Coleridge’s most famous poems, “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” generates a unique style of imaging in which the exchange between the natural world, religion, and his own personal ideologies on the world, shapes the fundamental qualities of this engaging piece of art. The plot line of this poem is narrated in the third person and commences with an introduction of the Ancient Mariner, the main character, articulating in the first person about his fate to transmit a story without changing any of its details to an array of audiences over the course of time. In doing so, it would seem as though the Mariner is relating a narrative, which is the effect that Coleridge hoped for. It can be inferred that this way of writing removes itself from the poetic feel, and instead allows the poem to flow more like a story.
The misadventures that the Mariner experiences throughout the poem pushes him further and further into his fate, such as they do with all people. The message that can be taken from the Mariner is that of a word from God and Nature that one should not undermine his Lord, and that all of God's children should coincide harmoniously. The Mariner must relay the story of a storm at sea, how it came to be that he and his crew members were blown off course in the direction of the South Pole, and how it came to be that a good omen, an Albatross, arrived to usher them back to the north. However, the Albatross soon turns into a nuisance and the Mariner shoots it. This brings a series of unfortunate circumstances to the ship and crew, as it was proven that the Mariner showed no consideration for living things. It is here that Death and his mate, Life-in-Death, arrive on the mariner’s ship and struggle for control over the ship’s future. The ship falls to the mercy of Death; Life-in-Death wins over the Mariner, but spares his life. But in doing so, the crew’s fate is not so lucky, as she gives them death. For seven days and seven nights, the eyes of the open and condemning dead shipmates must meet those of the Mariner’s. In anger, he blasphemed the creatures of the sea wriggling around him, demonstrating to Life-in-Death that the Mariner has yet to learn his lesson. The curse is broken only after the Mariner praises the living things, at which point spirits are observed to fill the bodies of his dead ship mates and the ship begins homeward. Shortly after, the spirits leave and are succeeded by “A man all light, a seraph man” (Coleridge 491) that shines light on the homeland. A small rescue boat is observed arriving alongside the Mariner’s ship, when a roaring sound darts through the water, severing and submerging the boat, tossing the Mariner into the sea. He is brought into the boat and upon seeing him, everyone inside is terrified. Upon making its way to shore, the Mariner quickly sprints to the Hermit of the Wood to beg for absolution for his sin. “What manner of man art thou?” (Coleridge 578) said the Hermit, which once again, ignited a retelling of the Mariner’s story to pardon him of the sin. At the story’s conclusion to the Wedding Guest, the Mariner tells him that since receiving the Hermit’s blessing, he has been more than happy to journey to different lands, unaware of when the affliction of what occurred may return. At any point when the curse once again returns to his memory, he identifies the face of a man whom he is compelled to relay his message of affection and admiration for God’s creation.
Although there exists a myriad of significances behind each point in the poem, the Albatross consists of the most symbolic piece. It can be inferred that the Albatross is like a manifestation of nature; and nature could clearly be associated to religion, and therefore God. Although nature could also relate to Pagan ideologies, it goes without saying that Coleridge can be seen to relate nature to Christianity, as the two concepts have always been closely identified with English culture since the earliest of Christian history. Moreover, the Albatross is even observed to be equated with a “Christian soul”: “At length did cross an Albatross,
Through the fog it came;
As if it had a Christian soul,
We hailed it in God's name.” (Coleridge 63-66)
The Albatross may also be examined as an embodiment of God who has arrived to assist the lost mariners. The Mariner shooting the bird not only symbolizes his ungratefulness, but it can also be interpreted as a lack of regard to any of the living creatures created by God, regardless of how minute, or unattractive they are, humans should respect all of God's creations to the same extent. Coleridge teaches us this very valuable moral lesson, and Christians should not be the only people to practice it. It bears considerable importance to all people from the various religions throughout the world. This is the reason why the killing of the Albatross can be interpreted as a violation of God's directives on Earth and violation of nature: “And I had done a hellish thing,
And it would work ‘em woe:
For all averred, I had killed the bird
That made the breeze to blow.
Ah wretch! said they, the bird to slay,
That made the breeze to blow!” (Coleridge 91-96)
The Ancient Mariner shot and killed the Albatross without reason, violating the laws of nature. As a result, the ship loses its course, seeing as nature closely identifies with the spiritual world. The disturbance in nature caused by the Mariners senseless act of violence is the root of this disturbance in nature, resulting in their retribution for doing so. As a result, the spiritual world begins its punishment for the Mariner and his crew members, causing every minute segment and constituent of the physical world distressing for them. They are faced with having to endure the wrath of both God and Mother Nature, in existence to ensure they are reminded that no human being surpasses that of the power of the natural world. Forced to endure a living nightmare and the things they observe through their eyes, everything becomes twisted, like death fires for example, are like an omen for the crew members and foreshadow their impending destruction which is in store for them later in Coleridge's poem: “The very deep did rot: O Christ!
That ever this should be!
Yea, slimy things did crawl with legs
Upon the slimy sea.
About, about, in reel and rout
The death-fires danced at night;
The water, like a witch's oils,
Burnt green, and blue and white.” (Coleridge 123-130)
Yet another significant Christian presence is observed in the poem, when all the seafarers turn their eyes towards the Ancient Mariner, holding him responsible for killing the Albatross. Condemned by the others with the dead bird hung around his neck, the curse of the Mariners dreadful act weighs on his shoulders. A parable can be seen through this instance, in a way, with a minor resemblance to Jesus Christ forced to carry his cross on his path towards Golgotha's slope, possibly symbolizing the strain which he has to undergo to have his sins exonerated: “Ah! well a-day! what evil looks
Had I from old and young!
Instead of the cross, the Albatross
About my neck was hung.” (Coleridge 139-142)
In Part III, the mariners continue to suffer. The spiritual world persists on using its forces to punish the ship’s crew using nature as its instrument, or more appropriately like a weapon. The wind does not blow, instead of water, the ocean has mutated into a horrific mess full of slime and vile creatures, and the sun is hotter than ever, burning them with its blazing heat. But upon facing the ghost ship, their horror becomes unfathomable; their impending sentence and retribution loom as it turns its final juncture towards them and they realize the ghost ship is not a part of the corporeal world. It is during this point that the spirits on board decide to take charge of dealing with the sinners. To claim the soul of the Ancient Mariner, Death and Life-in-Death play a game of dice. This is a very good example that shows how wretched his soul is in the eyes of Coleridge, because the fate of the human soul is not meant to be decided upon simply by playing a game, as it is something special and invaluable. It is obvious that this foreshadows that the Mariner is damned to experience something worse than death, and even though the souls of the Mariner’s crew also go to Hell, they seem to look freer, while they fly out of their bodies. Life-in-Death can be recognized as a metaphor for temptation. Possessing the Mariner’s soul will allow him to pay for his deeds. Not only as a symbol of his madness, the Mariner’s “glittering eye” (Coleridge 229) could also be his soul’s eagerness to seek out lasting tranquility; to be like that of the souls of his fellow seafarers and fly out of his body in an instance of deliverance. During this point in the poem, there is a presence of intense religious connotation, as the members of the Mariner’s crew suffer can be observed as a moment residing in a sort of penal institution or dungeon. In addition, the ship itself could also be considered as a type of limbo. To no extent is there any wind to assist them in driving it forward, providing them a way off it. As the ghost ship approaches, its masts obstruct the sun, such as prison bars, and even Coleridge himself relates this occurrence with a dungeon: “And straight the Sun was flecked with bars,
(Heavens Mother send us grace!)
As if through a dungeon-grate he peered
with broad and burning face.” (Coleridge 177-180)
Through such a relationship, it is almost as if the reader is meant to recognize the vast power of the spiritual world and its capabilities to symbolically cage the sun. Another minor similarity between the forces of spirits and the forces of nature is how nature establishes early in the poem its great power by aiding the lost ship by way of the Albatross, which has the capacity to escort the seafarers through the bitter cold lands. Additionally, the Albatross may also be contemplated as an embodiment of God who, just as the Albatross, guide those souls who are worthy to heaven. It is very noteworthy that there is a presence of irony during the Mariner's moment of absolution, as the creatures he found putrid and abhorrent in the end were his saving grace. Coleridge utilizes his subtle message and well-chosen vernacular to illustrate that all creatures, as they are a part of nature, as pious. The way in which Coleridge depicts the water-snakes in the later stages of the poem exemplifies the venerating language used. They are detailed as “Blue, glossy green, and velvet black” (Coleridge 280) and their tracks are a “flash of golden fire” (Coleridge 281-282). The way he describes the colors and uses such vibrant adjectives adds radiance to the water-snakes, being effective in bringing animation to the creatures. Coleridge’s admiration for nature showed as they were made to seem extraordinarily stimulating and animated.
It is not until the Mariner begins to see the beauty of his surroundings and the environment, the beauty of nature, and he is filled with love for everything, is he granted the consent to pray and have his encumbrance removed as the dead Albatross falls from his neck right into the sea and into the embrace of Mother Nature: “The self-same moment I could pray;
And from my neck so free
The Albatross fell off, and sank
Like led into the sea.” (Coleridge 288-291)
He is then at last permitted to sleep. As the rain pours on him afterwards, the symbolic tone takes to his new baptizing as a child of God and one who honors God's will, and accordingly his creations in nature. The Mariner does not fear the thunder, the storm, and so on, despite the unfortunate occurrences which keep happening around him. God himself is testing the Mariner, but instead he is wonderstruck by the engaging power of nature and is not scared anymore. In a way, it is as if his life has begun anew; as if he was reborn: “The silly buckets on the deck,
That had so long remained,
I dreamt that they were filled with dew;
And when I awoke, it rained.
My lips were wet, my throat was cold,
My garments all were dank;
Sure I had drunken in my dreams,
And still my body drank.” (Coleridge 297-304)
There is a modest alteration of the stylistic composition of the poem in Part IV. We are presented here with the Two Voices. The concept of sound and hearing supersedes the graphic visual accounts and conceptions of the ocean and all other surroundings. The Two Voices are not provided with any sort of physical form. They are most likely spirits, but the most significant aspect here is their message which we are intended to hear. Sound at this point in the poem is what Coleridge is concentrating on most, possibly because he wants to ensure that we remember that the Mariner is in fact telling a story, just as he is relaying it to the Wedding Guest. In doing so, readers can obtain a more evocative comprehension of the poem, which could be considered a sermon as well, because it also has a strong educational effect for those who read and hear it. However, hearing it aloud allows for it to reach everybody’s ear and heart. As the poem nears its ending, we are “introduced” to the image of the Hermit. There is a significant concordance here between the Hermit and the Ancient Mariner. The Hermit is the polar opposing character of the Mariner. In accordance with Romantic beliefs, the Hermit is an individual who is most holy and resides in peace with his surroundings and nature. He is a key illustration of a virtuous and ethical man, in divergence with the Mariner’s perpetrated wrongdoings.
Those who comprehend Coleridge’s subtle message within the “Rime” are said to become enlightened at its conclusion because they absorb from the poem that everyone is subjected to the same rulings of nature and God. “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” is not only a beautiful poem, but it also provides important ethical lessons about life, faith, and love of Mother Nature that we as human beings should abide by. Samuel Coleridge’s presents us with a message about how the world is meant to come together harmoniously and to love all living creatures, because in doing so we are brought closer to God and the bountiful earthly blessings provided to us by Mother Nature with assistance from his way of imaginative way of thinking and unique sense of philosophy. The word “teach” is used by Coleridge to recount the Mariner’s narrative, as told by him, saying how he has a “strange power of speech.” By claiming this, Coleridge can be seen equating himself to the protagonist (the Ancient Mariner), as they are both skilled narrators, with not only inspiration, but a necessity to write. By prompting the Wedding Guest to awake a “wiser man”, Coleridge illustrates an equally vivid, while at the same time feeble perception of the Mariner (who is believed to be a rendition of Coleridge). Through the act of utilizing the imagination to compose the tale, a long-standing influence on society can transpire through the power of the expressive imagination. By reading “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” we can observe that eradicating the natural world has the potential to cause significant unrest in the domain we live in. Religion is used in this poem by Coleridge to provide us with an understanding in a way in which we can comprehend. The message he hopes to get across is sensational, and bears substantial importance and symbolism centuries into the future.