The Rime of The Ancient Mariner by S.T. Coleridge is an eerie and supernatural tale of crime, punishment and repentance. The Mariner commits a crime at sea by killing an Albatross, and what follows is a bizarre line of events to punish the Mariner and the crew for their crimes. Morality plays an important role throughout the poem to inform the readers perception of the Mariner's actions. Symbolism is used to help support moral elements of the story and add depth to the narrative. Lastly the bizarre and supernatural elements which feature throughout the poem
One of the most powerful themes throughout the poem is morality. Coleridge was a believer in Christianity and the morals of this faith are reflected throughout his poetry. At the beginning …show more content…
The sailors have been feeding the bird and have offered it hospitality. In doing so they have made the bird feel safe near the ship and to shoot the bird after establishing this relationship is an unforgivable violation. At first the Mariner's shipmates accuse him of committing a heinous crime for killing the bird as it brought with it a breeze which freed the ship from ice, however as the think fog around them clears they commend the Mariner on his actions. By doing this the shipmates become accomplices in the Mariner's crime because they are not judging his actions by their morality, but by its direct affect on them. For their crimes the whole crew endures the punishments dealt by Death and Life-In-Death. During the punishment the Mariner unintentionally blesses one of the water snakes and in doing so begins to undergo a spiritual …show more content…
Wind was a common symbol in Romantic poetry and Coleridge uses it to show a healing presence after the Mariner's punishment. It raised my hair, it fanned my cheek
Like a meadow-gale of spring—
It mingled strangely with my fears,
Yet it felt like a welcoming. These symbols add depth of meaning to the poem and help support its moral meaning.
The use of bizarre elements throughout the story adds to the eerie and supernatural atmosphere. The first bizarre element which appears in the story is the Albatross, while its presence is not unusual the harsh consequences for killing the bird which follow are. The crew are presented with a gruesome scene as the first part of their punishment:
Yea, slimy things did crawl with legs
Upon the slimy sea.
About, about, in reel and rout
The death-fries danced at night;
The water, like a witch's oils,
Burnt green and blue and white (p. 130)
The characters of Death and Life-In-Death and another bizarre element in the story and Coleridge describes Life-In-Death vividly:
Her lips were red, her looks were free,
Her locks were yellow as gold:
He skin was white as
One of the most powerful themes throughout the poem is morality. Coleridge was a believer in Christianity and the morals of this faith are reflected throughout his poetry. At the beginning …show more content…
The sailors have been feeding the bird and have offered it hospitality. In doing so they have made the bird feel safe near the ship and to shoot the bird after establishing this relationship is an unforgivable violation. At first the Mariner's shipmates accuse him of committing a heinous crime for killing the bird as it brought with it a breeze which freed the ship from ice, however as the think fog around them clears they commend the Mariner on his actions. By doing this the shipmates become accomplices in the Mariner's crime because they are not judging his actions by their morality, but by its direct affect on them. For their crimes the whole crew endures the punishments dealt by Death and Life-In-Death. During the punishment the Mariner unintentionally blesses one of the water snakes and in doing so begins to undergo a spiritual …show more content…
Wind was a common symbol in Romantic poetry and Coleridge uses it to show a healing presence after the Mariner's punishment. It raised my hair, it fanned my cheek
Like a meadow-gale of spring—
It mingled strangely with my fears,
Yet it felt like a welcoming. These symbols add depth of meaning to the poem and help support its moral meaning.
The use of bizarre elements throughout the story adds to the eerie and supernatural atmosphere. The first bizarre element which appears in the story is the Albatross, while its presence is not unusual the harsh consequences for killing the bird which follow are. The crew are presented with a gruesome scene as the first part of their punishment:
Yea, slimy things did crawl with legs
Upon the slimy sea.
About, about, in reel and rout
The death-fries danced at night;
The water, like a witch's oils,
Burnt green and blue and white (p. 130)
The characters of Death and Life-In-Death and another bizarre element in the story and Coleridge describes Life-In-Death vividly:
Her lips were red, her looks were free,
Her locks were yellow as gold:
He skin was white as