Symbolism In The Rime Of The Ancient Mariner

710 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Use of symbolism in the life of the ancient mariner

The Albatross: A Symbolic Figure Through the use of poetry, many people can interpret it in many ways. Poems are said to be works of art created to relay important messages or express how the poet was feeling when it was written. Poetry, a unique concept, sometimes portrays important key elements, such as symbols, literal and figurative meanings, a theme, and a tone of the poem. When analyzing the poem, “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, it incorporates all these components and many more that make it a wonderful work of art.
When evaluating this poem, the main idea is centered on the symbol, the albatross. Back during the Romantic time period, many people, like the crewmen accompanied by the Mariner of the story, …show more content…

The albatross is the main idea, so it plays a huge role in the theme of the poem. It enhances the mystery, suffering, pride, and adventure that the poem portrays throughout the story line. The poem’s main theme is transformation in that the Mariner starts out as a sailor who does not appreciate the superstitions or the albatross that in turn ends up blessing the ugly sea creatures as an act of redemption. The poem states, “He prayeth best, who loveth best all things both great and small; for the dear God who loveth us, he mad and loveth all” (Coleridge, 1680). When he prays for the sea creatures, he is showing how he loves all the creatures, big or small, created by God himself. All of these themes were brought on by the single act of the albatross. The tone of the poem is fear and admiration. The albatross developed these qualities by causing the Mariner fear when he did not know what was going to happen to him from the effects of killing the bird. The admiration of the poem was seen when the Mariner saw only the greatness in life, such as the sea creatures.
Overall, the albatross is a symbolic figure that shows the greatness of the poem, “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. It enhanced both the theme and tone as well as providing a figurative and literal meaning to the poem. Poetry, during the Romantic time period, provides many readers with different messages that makes is such a great work of

Show More
Related

  • Main Themes In Christopher Mccandless's Into The Wild

    1143 Words  | 3 Pages

    poem compares the fear of the sea to everyday hardships of every human being. The key to this

    Read More

  • Comparison: Frankenstein & The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

    1670 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...ion of the situation to the Ancient Mariner. Moreover, the way in which the dialogue is presented, makes the structure seems more of a script of a play. The structure of the poem is a key characteristic in displaying the theme, for by telling the story as a personal experience, it helps the reader understand the moral and theme intended as a warning to people.

    Read More

  • Omens in Nature (A Comparison of Coleridge’s Albatross and Poe’s Raven as Poetic Symbols)

    688 Words  | 2 Pages

    In addition, the albatross of Rime of the Ancient Mariner and the raven from The Raven display similar actions in the poems. The albatross flies by the ship in the water and immediately brings good weather to the sailors, “And a good wind sprung up behind; the albatross did follow, and every day, for food or play, came to the mariner’s hollo!” (Lines 71-74) They then praise it, but once it is killed, horrible storms start, angering the mariners. The raven comes into play when the nar...

    Read More

  • The Sea as a Metaphor for Love in Valediction

    623 Words  | 2 Pages

    In this poem, the author tells of a lost love. In order to convey his overwhelming feelings, Heaney tries to describe his emotions through something familiar to everyone. He uses the sea as a metaphor for love, and is able to carry this metaphor throughout the poem. The metaphor is constructed of both obvious and connotative diction, which connect the sea and the emotions of love.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Suspense In The Rime Of The Ancient Mariner

    1022 Words  | 3 Pages

    In “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” by Coleridge, The Ancient Mariner is telling his story to a bypassing guest at the wedding, and he is describing the experience of being alone at sea surrounded by only water and his dead crewmates. Coleridge creates dramatic suspense and mystery in this passage through the uses of repetition, simile and imagery.

    Read More

  • (A Comparison of Poe’s Raven and Coleridge’s Albatros)

    645 Words  | 2 Pages

    Coleridge and Poe are both known for writing incredible horror stories. There most famous stories are The Raven, Poe, and The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Coleridge. Both stories were the first of their kind and were written around the same time. These poems have many things in common and many other things not in common. The main focus here is the symbolism of the birds in the poem. The poems are in fact based around the birds and their meanings. There are three main points to compare between the symbolism of the birds, they are; the birds both being an omen, the birds giving a feeling of remorse or prosperity, and the birds creating a false hope.

    Read More

  • A Comparison of Do Not Go Gentle Into That Goodnight, Stone Angel and Ancient Mariner

    1076 Words  | 3 Pages

    The main theme of Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem is to learn from your mistakes. After telling his tale to the Wedding Guest, the Ancient Mariner realized that the murder of the Albatross was a mistake and lived a life of penance. The act of murder was an impulsive act because the Mariner felt threatened by the Albatross their actions. The deaths of both birds brought about memories from both the Ancient Mariner and Hagar which they shared with other people, the Wedding Guest and Murray F. Lees. These memories help them to realize the mistakes they made. Through their own personal recollections, the Ancient Mariner and Hagar both achieved a better understanding of their lives and in turn were able to die with a sense of contentment and relief.

    Read More

  • Samuel Taylor Coleridge's The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

    1496 Words  | 3 Pages

    Overall “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” is poem that seems like a simple story told by a sailor about his woes at sea. But Coleridge uses many details to make symbols throughout the story for the reader to interpret and see the connections between it and religion. Whether it be through the Christ like albatross, which most would just see as a simple bird, or the woman on the boat showing how the lifestyle might be fun but ultimate leads to nothing we see that these small details create a bigger story than what is just on the cover.

    Read More

  • The Rime Of The Ancient Mariner Symbolism Essay

    1023 Words  | 3 Pages

    To begin with, the killing of the albatross signified the love that Christ had among his people, and the execution he was forced upon in order for the hope of reassurance of his people. “Is it he? quoth one, “Is this the man? By him who died on cross, With his cruel bow he laid full low The harmless Albatross. The spirit who bideth by himself In the land of mist and snow, He loved the bird that loved the man Who shot him with his bow.” (Lines 398-405). Samuel Coleridge dignifies the crucifixion of Jesus Christ with the execution of the albatross. Religious symbolism reflects the apocalypse meaning throughout the killing of the albatross.

    Read More

  • Wrong Actions in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

    676 Words  | 2 Pages

    The whole cycle begins with the mariner’s crime against nature:  the shooting of the albatross.  In the story, the mariner betrays nature by shooting the Albatross. This action against nature is rather extreme, for he takes this thought of death lightly. The Albatross, as a representative of nature, means nothing to the Mariner. These thoughts are quickly changed, though, as Nature begins to start the punishment for his crimes commence when there is, "Water, water, everywhere nor any drop to drink."   He is punished harshly for killing the symbol of nature that everyone reveres.  He is beaten down by the sun with its rays and is taunted by the endless sight of water that he cannot drink.  Nature is the force in this poem that has power to decide what is right or wrong and how to deal with the actions.

    Read More

  • Theme of Christianity in "Rime of the Ancient Mariner"

    1047 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...ous allegory represents Christian ideals such as sin, forgiveness, and prayer. In addition, Coleridge’s use of language and form contribute to the message conveyed in the text. The form fluctuates throughout the text by use of different rhyme schemes, loose meter, and stanzas in length varying four to nine lines. The variety of form could be representative the array of interpretations of this text. Coleridge conveys profound religious meaning by using symbolic language with interpretive representations. Although his use of elevated language possibly narrowed the audience, that could have been his intentions due to the complexities of this philosophical poem. In the end, Coleridge’s depiction of the Mariner’s journey ultimately conveys the Christian ideal, which is to love and appreciate all creatures created by God, whether Albatross or snake.

    Read More

  • The Wedding Guest in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

    844 Words  | 2 Pages

    As the ancient Mariner described his adventures at sea to the Wedding-Guest, the Guest became saddened because he identified his own selfish ways with those of the Mariner. The mariner told the Guest that he and his ship-mates were lucky because at the beginning of their voyage they had good weather. The mariner only saw what was on the surface -- he did not see the good weather as evidence that Someone was guiding them. Also, when he shot the Albatross, the Mariner did not have any reason for doing so. The Albatross did nothing wrong, yet the Mariner thought nothing of it and without thinking of the significance of the act, he killed the bird. At this, the Guest was reminded of how self-absorbed he, too, was, and the sinful nature of man. At the beginning of the poem he was very much intent on arriving at the wedding on time. He did not care at all about what it was that the Mariner had to tell him; he did not want to be detained even if the Mariner was in trouble. Instead, he spoke rudely to the mariner, calling him a "gray-beard loon", and tried to go on his own way.

    Read More

  • Imagination in the Rime of the Ancient Mariner versus Kubla Khan

    968 Words  | 2 Pages

    To the Romantics, the imagination was important. It was the core and foundation of everything they thought about, believed in, and even they way they perceived God itself. The leaders of the Romantic Movement were undoubtedly Samuel Taylor Coleridge and his close friend, William Wordsworth. Both were poets, and both wrote about the imagination. Wordsworth usually wrote about those close to nature, and therefore, in the minds of the Romantics, deeper into the imagination than the ordinary man. Coleridge, however, was to write about the supernatural, how nature extended past the depth of the rational mind.

    Read More

  • The Big Lesson from the Poem, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge

    574 Words  | 2 Pages

    He has to feel a pain in his chest that becomes unbearable until he sees a certain soul that is the right one to tell. No matter what. In the long poem, “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” by Samuel Taylor Coleridge has three lessons about human life: supernatural, pride, and suffering. In “Rime” by Sam Coleridge, the mariner goes through many supernatural events that scare him into submission. Coleridge does a great job of describing the scenery around the boat that the mariner resides in.

    Read More

  • The Allegory of The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

    866 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...ort the reader into a spiritual journey of guilt, retribution, and rebirth as a symbol of the journey of Christianity. Expressing the inherent struggles of humanity for sin and redemption, "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" allows the reader to suppose that supernatural situations are real. Coleridge uses supernatural events to bring to live the ideas he expresses in his work. "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" clearly demonstrates the ideals of Christianity as salvation and the power of sympathetic imagination.

    Read More

More about Symbolism In The Rime Of The Ancient Mariner

Open Document