The Rime of the Ancient Mariner is a lyrical ballad written by Coleridge with some help from the poet William Wordsw Wordsworth orth and it consists consists of seven acts preceded by one paragraph titled the “Argument”. n this poem! a sailor tells a complete stranger a ghastly tale about events that happened to him in one of his voyages. Accordin According g to the author author "heila "heila Wild it is possible that this plot may have been partially inspired by the e#plorations of Captain $ames Coo%.
n this ballad! an old mariner stops a man who is on h is way to a wedding reception to tell him a tale. Although initially the Wedding &uest is reluctant to stay! stay! then then he become becomes s mesmer mesmeri' i'ed ed by the marine mariner(s r(s “glitt “glitteri ering ng eye” eye” and listens listens attentively attentively to the whole whole story. story. At this point we may wonder if the fact that the interlocutor is attending a wedding might be particularly signi)cant. *ne of the possible reasons may be that the author aims to highlight the beginning of a new cycle as the current point in the Ancient Mariner(s life. +is retelling this story seems to be something the mariner is condemned to do again and again. ,y the end of the poem the mariner con)rms it when he saysSince then, at an uncertain hour, That agony returns: And till my ghastly tale tale is told, This heart within me burns.
The tale starts the day the mariner(s ship sets sail from an un%nown port with a crew of two hundred men. At )rst they enoy good weather and the sun in the s%y bathes them with warmth. n the mariner(s words-
The Sun came up upon the left, Out of the sea came he! And he shone bright, and on the right right Went down into the sea.
Higher and higher eery day, Till oer the mast at noon"
At that moment the sound of a bassoon interrupts his tale and the wedding celebration intrudes. The bride enters the hall and “ #ed as a rose is she$. t does not seem to be accidental that the colour red is mentioned at this precise moment. f we lin% it to the ancient rhyme “red s%y at morning! sailors ta%e warning”! the colour hints at the impending “storm/blast” as well as the upcoming problems in the mariner(s future.
This “tyrannous and strong” storm pushes them to the south and the weather turns terrible cold and misty. According to the mariner(s words! this remote place is devoid of any living beings%or shapes of men nor beasts we &en' The ice was all between.
And it is de)nitely harsh and inhospitable too-
The ice was here, the ice was there, The ice was all around: (t crac&ed and growled, and roared and howled, )i&e noises in a swound! n this stan'a Coleridge refers to the icy regions of the Antarctic. According to his friend Wordsworth! his inspiration comes from Captain & "helvoc%e0s 1234 boo%! A 5oyage Around the World by Way of the &reat "outh "ea. ,esides! Coleridge(s e6ective use of auditory imagery and personi)cation of the ice provides an ambiance of gloom and despair.
The tale continues with the une#pected appearance of an albatross out of the fog that surrounds the ship. The mariner lets us see his disregard for the bird! which might possibly e#tend to all living beings! when he says-
As if it had been a *hristian soul, We hailed it in +od"s name.
n coincidence with the appearance of the bird! the ice %eeping the ship stuc%! brea%s and a south wind drives them from behind. Although the albatross is harmless and friendly! the ancient Mariner %ills it with his crossbow for no discernible reason.
T-was right, said they, such birds to slay, That bring the fog and mist
With these words! the mariner tells us that the crew approves of his deed because they hold the albatross responsible for the bad weather. ,ut later on! after several hot sunny days with no wind! the crew swiftly turns against the mariner! lying the blame at his feet. The following lines ma%e the crew(s accusations clear-
Ah wretch! said they, the bird to slay, That made the breee to blow!
And to the men(s utter despair! the sun continues to shine mercilessly and not a drop of rain falls. They become desperately thirsty and they even dream of a spirit plaguing them. t is not without irony that the mariner claims-
Water, water, eerywhere %ot any drop to drin&
n a )t of rage and as a mar% of his guilt! the sailors hang the dead bird around his nec%. The unusti)ed death of the albatross at the hands of the mariner becomes the turning point of his life as well as the cornerstone of the whole poem.
At this point! we can already surmise that there is a certain relation between the poem and Christian religion and later on! the biblical symbolism becomes clearer. 7et! we can ma%e an educated guess about the divine nature of the albatross because of the reference to the cross! both in the way it is %illed/ with a crossbow/ and how it hangs around the mariner(s nec% -
(nstead of the cross, the Albatross About my nec& was hung.
This is the moment of the tale! when things become even more bi'arre. Another ship appears sailing without wind! and there is only a man and a woman in it! 8eath and 9ife/in/8eath. They play a game of dice! which 9ife/in/ 8eath wins and the ship disappears. As soon as they are gone! night comes and the two hundred sailors start dropping dead! as if their souls :y out of their bodies. The only one who remains standing is the ancient mariner. ,ecause of the way he describes their passing away we %now that! to a certain e#tent! this is a conse;uence of the %illing of the albatross. When the mariner describes their passing away he says-
And eery soul, it passed me by, )i&e the whi of my cross'bow!
The reference to the cross/bow lin%s this event directly to the death of the albatross. And by now! the ancient mariner starts to feel guilty and to sense the enormity of his sin.
With this change of heart he ta%es the )rst step to redemption. +e can see the beauty in these creatures! he can feel love for them and he can respect them. +e recogni'es them as &od(s creation. As we read in the ,ible! everything belongs to &od! How many are your wor&s, O )O#/! (n wisdom you made them all0 the earth is full of your creatures$ 12salm 345:657. And with this new found love in his heart! he is )nally able to pray. mmediately the albatross falls from his nec% and sin%s into the sea.
Without the heavy burden upon his shoulders! he falls asleep and rests. When he wa%es up! rain is falling and he drin%s his )ll. ncredibly! the boat moves forward although “neer a breee up'blew”. The dead sailors stand up and go about their tas%s until dawn. When the sun is up in the s%y again! these lifeless sailors drop their arms and sing sweet melodies that “ darted to the Sun”. All throughout the poem! the sun is an ever/present being ust as the all/ seeing &od of the Christians. We read in the ,ible! 89or He loo&s to the ends of the earth And sees eerything under the heaens$ 1ob, 657
"uddenly! the ship ma%es an abrupt movement and the mariner faints. As he is lying on the dec%! he listens to two voices discussing his fate. *ne of the voices as%s
"(s it he;"
>uoth he, The man hath penance done, And penance more will do$.
After a swift ourney! the ship gets to port and a boat comes to the Mariner(s rescue. A pilot! his assistant and a +ermit are on it. "uddenly! the ship sin%s and the Mariner is ta%en to the coast in the boat. As soon as they get on shore! the Mariner feels the urgent need to tell his story to the +ermit! who listens to him and sets him free. As a clear reference to the Christian sacrament of confession! the mariner as%s the +ermit to “shrieve >his? soul” and he claims “he(ll wash away The Albatross(s blood”.
Since then, at an uncertain hour,
That agony returns: And till my ghastly tale is told. This heart within me burns.
The moment he comes across a man who needs to learn from his tale! he %nows it! and he has to relate the story! as it is the case with the Wedding/ &uest.
When The Ancient Mariner )nishes his tale! the church doors open! and the wedding guests go out! merry in their ignorance and blissfully unaware of the mariner(s terrible fate. @erhaps it is the Wedding &uest who should endeavor to open their eyes and pass the Ancient Mariner(s adviceHe prayeth well, who loeth well =oth man and bird and beast.
