Gothic literature can be defined as a writing that creates an overall atmosphere of terror and dread; but the genre is a subcategory of the Romantic literature genre, a writing style that emphasizes emotion. Although, Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s ballad, Rime of the Ancient Mariner borrows elements of multiple genres, he enhances the elements of gothic literature. The supernatural elements not only create a terrifying mood but, also an attitude of forgiveness and love.
Coleridge’s supernatural elements create moments of suspense in order to emphasize the dread that will come along afterwards. After the mariner shoots the albatross, he dreams “of the Spirit that plagued [them] so; Nine fathom deep he had followed up/ From the land of mist and …show more content…
As the skeleton ship and the spirits approach the mariner, he notices one particular spirit and sees that “her skin was as white as leprosy,/The Nightmare Life-in-Death was she,/ Who thicks man’s blood with cold.” (192-194) The distasteful comparison of skin being “white as leprosy” frightens the mariner and he exaggerates his disturb of her gruesome appearance by stating that she has the ability to thicken someone’s blood with her icy presence. The spirit that the mariner identifies not only petrifies him so he understands the severity of his actions, but to confirms her dominance and role as the punisher. After the spirits decide the fate of the mariner, his crew “with heavy thump, a lifeless lump... dropped down one by one” (219-220). The image of his crew dropping to the ground establishes the ruthlessness of the punishing spirits and the horror the mariner must face as his entire crew drops dead around him. Along with that, the image of all the men dropping down individually proves that the entire crew must also face a harsh punishment for approving of the mariner’s crime toward the
Coleridge’s supernatural elements create moments of suspense in order to emphasize the dread that will come along afterwards. After the mariner shoots the albatross, he dreams “of the Spirit that plagued [them] so; Nine fathom deep he had followed up/ From the land of mist and …show more content…
As the skeleton ship and the spirits approach the mariner, he notices one particular spirit and sees that “her skin was as white as leprosy,/The Nightmare Life-in-Death was she,/ Who thicks man’s blood with cold.” (192-194) The distasteful comparison of skin being “white as leprosy” frightens the mariner and he exaggerates his disturb of her gruesome appearance by stating that she has the ability to thicken someone’s blood with her icy presence. The spirit that the mariner identifies not only petrifies him so he understands the severity of his actions, but to confirms her dominance and role as the punisher. After the spirits decide the fate of the mariner, his crew “with heavy thump, a lifeless lump... dropped down one by one” (219-220). The image of his crew dropping to the ground establishes the ruthlessness of the punishing spirits and the horror the mariner must face as his entire crew drops dead around him. Along with that, the image of all the men dropping down individually proves that the entire crew must also face a harsh punishment for approving of the mariner’s crime toward the