In “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” religion is prominent and important in the process of the story evolving. These religions elements, specifically Catholicism, work along side the superstitious components of the poem to express both the author’s feelings and also add to the mystery of the plot. By analyzing the Catholic imagery, the blessing of the water snakes, and the superstitious elements of the story, Coleridge’s personal religious preferences emerge, and the religious background of the story is made clear. “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” has been talked and written about since it was drafted in 1798. One of the most obvious underlying aspects of the poem is the integration of religious parallels into Coleridge’s work. Because
One of the most obvious parallels is between Christ and the Albatross. This is a topic Alice Chandler expands on in her essay, and she points this parallel out many times throughout the poem. “The word ‘penance,’ for example, occurs three times in the text and gloss; and when the First Voice swears, it is ‘By him who died on the cross.’ When we Remember that the Albatross itself died by the ‘crossbow’ and afterwards replaces the cross on the Mariner’s neck, it is not hard to equate the lines” (Chandler 409). As Chandler points out, this connection is very obvious to the reader. Not only is the Albatross sacrificed as a Christ-like figure, he is also hung around the Mariner’s neck like a crucifix. Besides thinking logically about this connection, it is also printed for the reader in the poem. “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
These religious aspects include the connections to the Book of Revelation, connections to Christ, and also important religious events like the blessing of the water snakes. “Beyond the shadow of the ship I watched their rich attire: Blue, glossy green, and velvet black, They coiled and swam; and every track Was a flash of golden fire” (Coleridge 13). One very interesting feature about blessing the water snakes is that Coleridge chose snakes to bless over any other creature. In the Bible, the serpent is a symbol of the Devil, and throughout history, the snake has been an evil creature. Looking back at the blessing, the Mariner seems to not even think about blessing the snakes. This is very similar to how he killed the Albatross, quick and thoughtless. The act and forgiveness both being thoughtless brings the story back to its chief lesson, the unconditional love of God for all of his creation. It does not matter what the reasoning is behind someone’s asking for forgiveness. All that matters to God is that if a sin is committed, the person that committed the sin asks for
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:
As delineated in paragraph one, Coleridge’s poetic field is one rampant with erratic thought and ultimate change. The proposed subject of the poem, an eolian harp, is virtually abandoned and replaced with veneration of a God as well as a lover. One would think that such a fickle publication would be kept isolated by its author. Although, Coleridge may have staked importance in showing his adoration for God publicly. Hence,
In Colderidge’s poem, Rime of the Ancient Mariner, the old man learns to live your life thoughtfully. While the old man is at sea, he goes through many different things, including having every single one of his 200 ...
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.
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.
Coleridge, Samuel Taylor, "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner." The Norton Anthology of English literature: The Major Authors. 7th ed. Ed .M.H. Abrams, etal. New York: Norton, 2001.
In “The Rime of the Ancient mariner” the author, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, uses multiple literary elements and techniques to portray the meaning of the work to readers. A recurring central idea in Coleridge’s poem, a change in perspective aids the change of certain circumstances in an individual’s life, becomes known to readers through the use of allusion, conflict and setting. This ensures that readers fully grasp the experiences the mariner goes through on his journey.
[1]Samuel Taylor Coleridge author of the lyrical ballad Rime of the ancient Mariner, tells a story of three men; wedding guest who are on their way to a wedding, but is stopped by an old sailor; with his hypnotic eyes caught the attention of the guest and tells a story of his disastrous voyage. [2]Coleridge combines striking images with elements of allusions to create assorted tones throughout the poem.
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.
Hence, when examining the one of the oldest English poems, The Seafarer, it is necessary to address the critical roles that society, as well as personal belief, play in the psychological development of one self. Ones manifestation of his surroundings, as well as his thoughts, can determine his emotional psyche. The Seafarer, initially feeling barren, and lost, slowly comes to accept his Fate that he asserts God blessed him with, and becomes very happy with the acceptance that he does, in fact, have a meaning in life. With this new meaning that the Seafarer accepts, his character is transformed into that of a different psychological mindset.
Beaten down by his ancient years, the Mariner tells the story of superstition, suspense, drama, and danger through Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. In this 1798, poem, S. T. Coleridge vividly expresses the allegory of his poem through the symbolism of man’s human nature and the salvation of Christ. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner is an allegory which represents the natural and spiritual world of man, it also demonstrates the imprisonment and retribution of sin, and contains the symbolism of penance and redemption.
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.
However, in the two works by Coleridge, the imagination takes on different roles in each world. In the Ancient Mariner, the imagination is the substance that holds all life together, much like how the millio...
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.
...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.