A Biographical Analysis of The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
“The Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, is a
somewhat lengthy poem concerning the paranormal activities of a sea
mariner and his crew. The work was constructed to be the beginning
piece in Lyrical Ballads, a two-volume set written by William
Wordsworth and Coleridge. Wordsworth intended to, in his volume, make
the ordinary seem extraordinary, while Coleridge aimed to make the
extraordinary ordinary. “The Rime” was first published in 1798.
Despite the current popularity of the piece, it was harshly criticized
upon being first published. One of “The Rime’s” toughest opponents
was Wordsworth himself, who claimed that the poem had “neither
characterization nor proper agency nor skill in the handling of
imagery” (Fry, 12). Wordsworth even bluntly described the piece as
being in the wrong overall meter (Fry, 12). Because of these presumed
flaws, “The Rime” was edited into several subsequent editions, being
released in 1800, 1802, 1805, 1817, and 1834.
When a reader examines “the Rime,” the piece first appears to be
merely that of an archaic ghost story. Throughout the years though,
many have analyzed the poem from various angles of interpretation.
Some of the methods used to decipher “The Rime” have included
reader-response, Marxist, new historicism, psychoanalytic, and even
deconstruction analysis. While each of these alternatives provides an
individualistic prospective on the poem, they are all somewhat
different, and can even be objective at times depending on the reader
in question. While “The Rime” may have been constructed to address
slavery, the economy, or even morality, it can also be greatly
appreciated when looke...
... middle of paper ...
...ations of his work (Fry, 8). A short
time later, Coleridge died, but only after some of the most peaceful
years of his life.
“The Rime” is a supernaturally based poem, which is full of
imaginative symbolism and imagery. Despite its numerous revisions, it
is still a defining piece of literature from the Romantic period.
While several approaches can be taken to investigate the poem, a
biographical analysis provides an insightful look into the life of the
author that created the work. In “The Rime,” Coleridge has the
Mariner facing many of the same obstacles that he faced throughout his
life, including death, isolation, constant wandering, and a final
search for salvation.
Works Cited
Coleridge, Samuel. “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.” Fry 26-75.
Fry, Paul, ed. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. Boston and New
York: Bedford / St. Martin’s, 1999.
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:
Mary Shelley 's Frankenstein, written in 1818, raises more questions that it could possibly address. It is the haunting tale of how a brilliant young scientist allowed his ambition to consume him, until the creature he created consumed his entire life. It is a story of ambition, murder and consequence. A story that this novel alludes to is Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, although not in a manner one might expect. This poem follows an ancient mariner on an expedition across the sea when he slaughters an innocent being, an albatross and brings on a curse that affects him and his crewmen tragically. The tale ends with the ancient mariner repeating his tale to a wedding guest, who emerges a “sadder and wiser man” (Coleridge). These two stories seem dissimilar, but they share a prevalent theme, as shown when Mary Shelley alludes to this poem in Frankenstein throughout the novel. The allusion to Rime of the Ancient Mariner helps develop the theme of imprisonment by
In Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, the author uses the story of a sailor and his adventures to reveal aspects of life. This tale follows the Mariner and his crew as they travel between the equator and the south pole, and then back to England. The author's use of symbolism lends the work to adults as a complex web of representation, rather than a children's book about a sailor.First, in the poem, the ship symbolizes the body of man. The ship experiences trials and tribulations just as a real person does. Its carrying the Mariner (symbolizing the individual soul) and crew shows that Coleridge saw the body as a mere vessel of the soul. This symbol of a boat is an especially powerful one, because one steers a ship to an extent, yet its fate lies in the hands of the winds and currents.Secondly, the albatross symbolizes Christ. Just as the Mariner senselessly slays the bird, man crucifies Christ whose perfection is unchallenged. Even though Christ represents mankind's one chance at achieving Heaven, man continues to persecute Him. The albatross symbolizes the sailors' one chance at deliverance from icy death and the Mariner shoots him.Thirdly, the South Pole symbolizes Hell. No visible wind blows the unfortunate crew toward the South Pole. Rather, an unseen force pulls them there. Such is the case when the world's temptations lure one to Hell. Just as the sailors approach far to close to this icy purgatory, their Redeemer, the albatross, or at least his spirit, leads them safely back in the right direction.Fourthly, in the poem England symbolizes Heaven. When the Mariner first sees his country, a great sense of hope and joy overcome him. At the point when the Mariner is about to enter Heaven, the body, symbolized by the ship, must die.
The significance of sighting the Albatross represents the first living creature the crew has seen, while stranded in the barren South Pole. When the Mariner shoots the bird, he is faced with judgements passed by his crewmates and natural obstacles that occur for minor periods, punishments passed by god are done mentally...
“Stay here and listen to the nightmares of the sea” - Iron Maiden (Rime of the Ancient Mariner) In “Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” Samuel Taylor Coleridge illustrates the story through the belief in God, and Christian faith. Throughout Mariner’s journey, many signified meanings interpret an important role such as, religious and natural symbolisms.
Samuel Taylor Coleridge 's use of various types of symbolism in “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” to give the simple story a more depth meaning. The story is simply about a old Mariner telling his tale about killing a bird and his experiences with supernatural contact to wedding guests. Without any thought, any ready could tell that the story had much more meaning rather than a man telling a story.
Samuel Taylor Coleridge's “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” seems like a simple story of a man lost at sea and defeating the odds, but if you hone in on the visual and aural details you see that it’s much more. The whole story revolves around the theme of religious transformation and Coleridge uses these visual and aural symbols to convey and drive home this theme.
Rime of the Ancient Mariner: Wrong Actions The idea of people making wrong actions and having to pay for them afterwards is not new. The Christian religion centers itself around the confession of sins done by men or women. Luckily, they have the power to repent and do penance to receive God’s forgiveness. God sends people this power and people around the world mimic this cycle of crime, punishment, repentance, and reconciliation in court systems and other penal codes.
It has been suggested that The Rime of the Ancient Mariner may be read as a religious text, presenting ‘nothing less than the fall of man’.
Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s use of symbolism in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner lends the work to adults as a complex web of representation, rather than a simple story about a sailor. The author uses the story of a sailor and his adventures to reveal aspects of life. This tale follows the Mariner and his crew as they travel between the equator and the South Pole, and then back to England. Without the symbols, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner would be simply a poem about an old mariner who is telling a story about killing a bird to a guest at a wedding. Of course, anyone who reads the poem can see that there is more to it than just a simple telling of a story.
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.
A significant theme in Samuel Coleridge's "Rime of the Ancient Mariner," is Christianity, which is portrayed through the Mariner’s epic journey. This text is set between the physical world and the metaphysical (spiritual world), similar to religious teachings found in the Bible. With the use of vivid descriptions and strong language in this ballad, moral lessons appear that connect both man and God in order to discover an innate bond and understanding. Though this tale is overwhelmingly bizarre and dark, the moral lessons taught are in line with central aspects of both the romantic period and the Christian religion. In Coleridge's ballad, "Rime of the Ancient Mariner," many Christian ideals are represented throughout the treacherous journey of the Mariner, such as sin, forgiveness, and prayer.
A lot of stories have a central theme or message that is shaped by the words surrounding it. The lesson could be depressing, funny, or serious. It never really matters, but a moral is a lesson to be learned from a story or event. The moral may be left to the hearer, reader or viewer to determine for themselves, or may be explicitly encapsulated in a maxim. The mariner is cursed with a lifelong penance after he killed the Albatross. 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 to. No matter what. In the long poem, “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” by Samuel Taylor Coleridge has three lessons about human life and they are supernatural, pride, and suffering.
Have you ever heard a story from an older person and your mind was blown with what you have just heard? Well in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Coleridge an old mariner told a boy a story that blew the boys mind. Have you ever seen dead people come back to life? Well in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner people came back to help the old mariner after he realized something. In The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Coleridge there is three messages that Samuel Coleridge wants people to realize.
According to Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia, an allegory is described as a fictional literary narrative or artistic expression that conveys a symbolic meaning parallel to but distinct from, and more important than, the literal meaning. This is true in Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem, "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner." "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" is an allegory that symbolizes the inherent struggle of humans facing the ideas of sin and redemption. In writing this poem, Coleridge spent four months of sustained writing upon his purpose of supposing that supernatural situations are real. This purpose is seen clearly in "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner", which demonstrates salvation, and the power of sympathetic imagination. The story of the ancient mariner takes place on a sea voyage around the horn of Africa and through the Pacific Ocean to England, which Coleridge uses to symbolize the pass into the spirit world of guilt, retribution, and rebirth.