Unanswered Questions in the Rime of the Old Mariner The Rime of the Old Mariner is riddled with archaic language that purposely leaves the reader with numerous unresolved questions. Unanswered questions prove so numerous they can either leave the reader dissatisfied with the conclusion or enlightened by the introspective thought the questions provoke. Furthermore, the juxtaposition of the literal side notes and the abstract nature of the iambic tetrameter ballad only further complicates Samuel Coleridge’s work. The poem draws in readers with its consistently archaic language; finding a definitive theme within it proves nearly impossible and leaves readers questioning the intent of a ballad with such lack of closure and obvious themes. Within …show more content…
The Mariner, for no apparent reason, shoots the innocent, peaceful albatross dead out of the sky. Coleridge addresses the lack of logic in people’s actions and how they must seek penance to face and repent for their sins. The albatross represents human impurity: for unknown reasons, people take something pure and beautiful and destroy it. The albatross represents Jesus Christ; he was pure and sinless but was crucified and condemned. In the same way, the albatross represents innocence and purity and just like Jesus, paid the ultimate price for acts or sins he did not …show more content…
Initially, The Mariner convinced the ship’s crew that he had in fact preformed an honorable act and claimed the albatross did not bring the wind but instead brought the fog. Quickly believing him, the crew praised him for shooting the bird and for an unknown reason kept the deceased bird onboard the ship. When the crew realized the bird had been their guide, they forced the mariner to wear the albatross around his neck as penance for his sins. The albatross constantly reminds him of his senseless act and reminds the reader that some actions have repercussions that far outweigh their initial benefits. His punishment does not require some convoluted reminder or therapy session; his punishment lies with him always and forces him, through the albatross’s decaying scent and beady gaze to remember and repent for his
In the 1798 and the 1817 text of the, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, There are certain changes. Changes that effect the poem and the way that the reader sees the poem. Some of these changes include reading devices called glosses. There are many reasons for the glosses to be put into the poem. One of the reasons is to help the reader interpret lines in the poem that can be confusing. These glosses are a brief interpretation of the stanza, so that the reader will understand it the way that Coleridge intended them to. An example of this is:
Lepore, Amy. "Why does the Mariner kill the albatross? What is the symbolic nature of the action?" Enotes.com. Enotes Inc., n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2014. .
The costs of their decisions would weigh heavily on them both throughout their travels. Because of his rash decision, the albatross was hung around the Mariner’s neck, a burden which, along with his guilt, he’d have to carry for a long time. Avenging the albatross also were the ghastly duo who gambled for the Mariner’s life- all the members of his crew, some of whom were very close to him, “dropp'd down one by one… With heavy thump, a lifeless lump” (l. 219-220), killed by Death. They, too, shared the blame for the Mariner’s crime, as they had condoned his action as long as things were going well. Ma...
The Mariner’s motivation to share his tale also demonstrates the repressive and psychological nature of the frame. As the Mariner recounts his experiences on the ship and his punishment for shooting the albatross, his tale becomes a parable about respecting the natural world. The Mariner conveys this moral to the wedding-guest in the end-frame of the poem, as he states, “He prayeth well, who loveth well / Both man and bird and beast […] For the dear God who loveth us, / He made and loveth all” (Coleridge 612-617). Here, the Mariner appeals to a divine authority, and directly correlates the order of nature with God’s will. In doing so, he warns the wedding-guest that to think oneself above nature– as he did when he shot the albatross– is to think oneself above God. However, while this is the moral understanding the Mariner wishes to pass on, imparting wisdom is not his only motivation. As the Mariner states,
Coleridge uses religious and natural symbolism, which correspond with one another and play the most important roles in this poem. Although there are many different interpretations of this poem, one idea that has remained common throughout the poem is that of the religious symbolism present. Especially that of Christ and his ability to save, which was present throughout this poem. The symbolism is that of the albatross. The albatross saves the Mariner for bad weather and keeps the sailors in
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.
Although the albatross guides the crew safely through the sea, the mariner shoots it dead with a crossbow. This alludes to the way Jesus dies on the cross in order to allow abolition of the world 's sins. The allusion to the cross allows readers to again see the recurring allusion to Jesus and the biblical messages Coleridge presents. Another example of a biblical allusion in the poem includes Jesus’ disciples. Life and Life-In-Death play for souls of those of the ship and when Life-In-Death wins, she obtains the mariner and Death gets the souls of the crew. Death collects his prize and later on the crew begins to move and talk as if they are alive. Jesus’ disciples at Pentecost receive the gift of language. Therefore, the allusion Coleridge makes between the mariners’ crew and Jesus’ disciples displays how perspective relates to events that occur in the lives of individuals. The biblical allusions in “The Rime of the Ancient mariner” allow the mariner, as well as readers to realize the beauty of nature and everything surrounding it. The albatross allows for the realization that guidance and support come along and help in times of hardship that
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.
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.
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.
The mariner reconciles his sins when he realizes what nature really is and what it means to him. All around his ship, he witnesses, "slimy things did crawl with legs upon the slimy sea" and he questions "the curse in the Dead man's eyes". This shows his contempt for the creatures that Nature provides for all people. The mariner begins to find his salvation when he begins to look on the 'slimy things' as creatures of strange beauty. When "the mariner begins to find his salvation when he begins to look on the 'slimy things' as creatures of strange beauty" he understands the Albatross is a symbol of nature and he realizes what he had done wrong. The mariner is forgiven after sufficient penance. The mariner's experience represents a renewal of the impulse of love towards other living things. Once he reconciles his punishment is lifted. The bird, which is hung around his neck as a punishment, falls into the water and makes the change from punishment to penance.
The catalyst for the emergence of Christian symbolism occurs when the mariner commits a sin by murdering one of God’s creatures. By killing the albatross, he inevitably brings about a series of trials amongst himself and those aboard the ship. Though the significance of this sin is first unseen by the mariner, supernatural forces quickly condemn his actions as a severe crime against nature. With no real reason, the mariner kills the albatross and soon realizes the magnitude of his actions. Viewed beyond simply a good luck charm, “At length did cross an Albatross, Through the fog it came; As if it had been a Christian soul, We hailed it in God’s name” (ll. 63-6). The idea of the Albatross representing Jesus Christ is a direct parallel in the Christian religion. The death of the Albatross is reminiscent of the death of Jesus in that both died as a result of another’s sin and betrayal of God’s word. Similar accounts of betrayal are portrayed ...
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.
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.
In discussing the symbolism of guilt in "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner", it is important to understand that in the eyes of the Romantics God was one with Nature. Because of this belief a sin against Nature was seen as a sin against God. In line 82 of the poem, the Mariner simply says, "I shot the Albatross." In saying this, the reader often questions why the bird was shot. There is no explanation. The Albatross was shot without reason or motive very much like the sin of humans. Here the poem begins to take on its allegorical purpose in which the Albatross symbolizes not only sin, but possibly Jesus as well. In Christianity, Jesus died upon the cross for the sins of humanity. He was punished in order for ...