"The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge

"The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge is an evidence poetic genius depicting reality of life. It highlights how people suffer for committing sine in the barren earth. It introduce perfect melody, meter, mechanism and supernatural realm . It is unique among Coleridge’s important works— unique in its intentionally archaic language (“Eftsoons his hand drops he”), its length, its bizarre moral narrative, its strange scholarly notes printed in small type in the margins, its thematic ambiguity, and the long Latin epigraph that begins it, concerning the multitude of unclassifiable “invisible creatures” that inhabit the world. Its peculiarities make it quite atypical of its era; it has little in common with other Romantic works. Rather, the scholarly notes, the epigraph, and the archaic language combine to produce the impression (intended by Coleridge, no doubt) that the “Rime” is a ballad of ancient times (like “Sir Patrick Spence,” which appears in “Dejection: An Ode”), reprinted with explanatory notes for a new audience.

"The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" is one of the most famous poems in English literature, written by Samuel Taylor Coleridge and published in 1798 as part of Lyrical Ballads, a collection of poems by Coleridge and William Wordsworth. This poem is a landmark of Romantic poetry, emphasizing themes of nature, sin, punishment, redemption, and the supernatural.

Summary of the Poem

The poem is a narrative ballad that tells the story of an old mariner who stops a wedding guest to recount his harrowing sea voyage. The story is divided into seven parts:

Part I: The Journey Begins and the Albatross

The mariner and his crew set sail on a long voyage. Initially, they enjoy smooth sailing, but soon, a violent storm drives their ship into an icy, fog-covered region near the South Pole. In this cold and desolate place, an albatross (a large seabird) appears, and the crew sees it as a good omen. The bird follows the ship, and the sailors feed it. However, in an act of thoughtless cruelty, the mariner shoots the albatross with his crossbow, bringing misfortune upon the ship.

Part II: The Curse Begins

After the mariner kills the albatross, the wind ceases, and the ship is stranded in the middle of the ocean. The sun beats down mercilessly, and the crew suffers from thirst. The sailors blame the mariner for their predicament, realizing that killing the albatross was a crime against nature. To punish him, they hang the dead albatross around his neck, symbolizing his guilt and burden.

Part III: The Ghost Ship and Death's Game

A ghostly ship appears in the distance, carrying two supernatural figures—Death and Life-in-Death. They play a game of dice for the souls of the crew. Death wins the crew members, while Life-in-Death wins the mariner, condemning him to a fate worse than death. One by one, the sailors die, leaving the mariner alone, surrounded by their corpses.

Part IV: The Mariner's Realization and Redemption

The mariner is tormented by his guilt and loneliness. He tries to pray but cannot. However, as he watches the beautiful sea creatures swimming in the moonlight, he is suddenly struck by their beauty. In an act of spontaneous love and appreciation for these creatures, he blesses them. This sincere moment of repentance breaks the curse, and the albatross falls from his neck into the sea.

Part V: Supernatural Salvation

After his blessing, the mariner is able to sleep, and it rains, quenching his thirst. The dead sailors, possessed by angelic spirits, rise and help steer the ship. Mysterious natural and supernatural forces guide the vessel back toward home.

Part VI: The Return Journey

The ship is propelled by supernatural forces, and the mariner faints from exhaustion. When he awakens, he sees his homeland but is terrified by the sight of spirits still surrounding the ship. A small boat, carrying a hermit, a pilot, and the pilot’s son, approaches to rescue him.

Part VII: The Mariner’s Fate and His Eternal Penance

As the mariner is rescued, his ship suddenly sinks, and he is left floating in the sea. The hermit, a holy man, listens to his tale and offers him absolution. However, the mariner is doomed to wander the earth, compelled to tell his story to those who need to hear it. He warns the wedding guest (and by extension, the reader) of the importance of respecting nature and all of God's creatures. The wedding guest, deeply affected by the tale, leaves a "sadder and wiser" man.

Themes in "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner"

Sin and Redemption – The mariner’s killing of the albatross represents a sin against nature, for which he must atone. His redemption comes through suffering, realization, and penance.

The Power of Nature – The poem reflects Romantic ideals by emphasizing the beauty and power of nature. The mariner’s punishment serves as a warning against disrespecting nature.

The Supernatural – Ghostly ships, spirits, and cosmic forces play a significant role, highlighting the mysterious and mystical elements that influence human fate.

Isolation and Guilt – The mariner’s suffering comes from his guilt and loneliness, which parallel the human experience of remorse and the need for redemption.

The Importance of Prayer and Blessing – The mariner’s salvation begins when he unconsciously blesses the sea creatures, suggesting that love and appreciation for all living beings lead to spiritual healing.

Symbolism in the Poem

The Albatross – Represents innocence, nature, and divine blessing. Its death symbolizes a crime against nature and spiritual transgression.

The Wedding Guest – Symbolizes an ordinary person who learns a profound lesson about life through the mariner’s tale.

The Ghost Ship – Represents fate and divine punishment, with Death and Life-in-Death as agents of supernatural justice.

Water and the Ocean – Represents both life and death, as the mariner is surrounded by water but suffers from thirst.

The Sun and Moon – Represent divine judgment and guidance, respectively.

Gustave Dore's magnificent engravings for The Rime of the Ancient Mariner are among the later works of the great French illustrator. The intensely evocative poem provided Doré with the long-awaited opportunity to convey limitless space on a gigantic scale, and he exploited the poem's fantastic range of atmosphere to the limits of its possibilities. The terrifying space of the open sea, the storms and whirlpools of an unknown ocean, the vast icy caverns of Antarctica, the hot equatorial sea swarming with monsters, all of the amazing visual elements that make Coleridge's masterpiece one of the most exciting and most memorable poems in the English language are unforgettably engraved in Doré's plates.

This edition reproduces all of the plates to perfection, in their original size. The illustrations and the text of the poem appear on facing pages, so that the imaginative kinship of Doré and Coleridge is delightfully evident on every page: the illustrations capture all the moods of the poem in their full intensity, bringing the images evoked by the words into clear visual focus.

Unabridged and slightly rearranged republication of the 1878 American edition. Text slightly amended to conform to the authoritative 1834 edition of the poem.

"All the Little Raindrops: A Novel" by Mia Sheridan for $10.39

The chilling story of the abduction of two teenagers, their escape, and the dark secrets that, years later, bring them back to the scene of the crime. | Learn more

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner is a great art of romantic literature.

The poem is written in ballad form, using quatrains (four-line stanzas) with an ABCB rhyme scheme.

Archaic language is used to give the poem a sense of timelessness.

Repetition and refrains emphasize key moments (e.g., "Water, water, everywhere, nor any drop to drink").

Alliteration and assonance enhance the musicality and mood of the poem.

Conclusion

"The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" is a powerful and haunting poem that explores deep philosophical and moral questions about human actions, nature, and redemption. It remains a classic of Romantic literature, resonating with readers through its supernatural elements, vivid imagery, and timeless themes. The poem serves as a cautionary tale, reminding us to respect the natural world and to seek redemption through love, prayer, and appreciation of all living things.