"Rime" Showcase

“Rime of the Ancient Mariner"
How does Coleridge exemplify Romanticism in his poem?

What does this poem suggest about the nature of evil in the universe?

Where does Coleridge use poetic devices or shifts to emphasize meaning in his poem?

Discuss the Exigence, Target Audience, and the Purpose of the poem.

Showcase #1

The epic poem Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge suggests that man is capable of great evil and that this evil arises from human blindness and arrogance. The reader first witnesses this when the Ancient Mariner shoots the noble Albatross, never thinking that Nature might seek revenge for this act. In his arrogance, the Ancient Mariner had forgotten the power Nature holds and so was continually shocked as to why the spirits of Nature came to make him suffer: “And some in dreams assur’ed were/Of the Spirit that plagued us so;” (Coleridge 131-132). In his dreams, the Spirit comes to tell the bewildered Mariner that he suffers because he shot the Albatross. But he never once hesitated when shooting the Albatross, because he never once thought there would be any consequences. In his mind, humanity dominated nature, and, therefore, there was nothing nature could do that could hurt him.
Also, the Ancient Mariner has a clear disregard for the beauty and purity of Nature. Not only does he shoot the Albatross, but he refers to the creatures of the sea as “Yea, slimy things did crawl with legs/Upon the slimy sea”(Coleridge 125-126). He has no respect for these creatures, and it clearly shows in his dismissive, disgusted tone. He is blind to their beauty and thinks himself so much greater than these creatures. For him, there is nothing wrong with harming the creatures of nature because they are not sentient beings in his mind. It is not difficult for him to kill a creature that he feels no sympathy or wonder for. So, through both of these quotes, the reader sees that the Ancient Mariner’s great act of evil--shooting the Albatross--was not due to hatred or malice, but the simple belief that he was more powerful than nature.
That being said, the reader never actually does find out why the Ancient Mariner shoots the Albatross. Though the implications of his callous tone regarding nature, I have surmised that it was due to disrespect of nature. All that is written in text is that “...--with my cross-bow,/I shot the Albatross” (Coleridge 81-82). We never see into the Mariner’s mind during this critical moment. This murkiness is a clear weakness in my argument, but it is also strong due to clues of word choice and tone in the poem. I’ll never truly know what Coleridge intended the Mariner’s reason to be, only my own interpretation of it.


Showcase #2

When looking thought the “Rime of the Ancient Mariner”, one sees many times when faith and religion are brought into the story. Looking deep enough, one can see that it is actually an allegorical representation of the biblical story of Jeebus Christ. The author, Som. Taylor Coleridge, wrote this story to tie the view of human nature expressed in the New T estimate to the Post-Renaissance Age of Exploration.
We can see this comparison in three aspects of the story: the Algebratross, why it died, and what happened when it was killed. Clearly, the albatross represents Jesus, as the strict juxtaposition of a friendly bird in a world of ice reflects the juxtaposition of a truly pure human in a world of sin. Also to be noted is the way that the Albatross was “hailed in God's name.” (line 66) as Jesus was upon his birth.
As in birth, so in death does the tale of the Albatross reflect the story of Jesus. It has been speculated by members of the class that the Albatross was killed because it was being treated as a god, and was diminishing the sailors' faith in the christian church, a hypothesis supported by the phrase “Instead of the cross, the Albatross, about my neck was hung” (lines 140-141). This shows that the crew was beginning to replace the image of their god with the bird. This is understandable; the bird's appearance was perceived as a good omen and brought safe passage through the Ice. Jesus'death organized by kings who feared his bringing the downfall of their religion, is similar in this way.

Finally, the punishment of the mariner for killing the Albatross is similar to the punishment of Humanity for our sins. We are forced to suffer if we sin, according to the Bible. The Mariner suffered for his sins as well: he nearly died of thirst. When he repented and changed his ways, however, he was forgiven and prospered, as the Bible was will happen to it's faithful.

Showcase #3

Coleridge exemplifies Romanticism in his poem “Rime of the Ancient Mariner”. Throughout the entire poem, he is constantly describing and explaining the natural forces at work. He often uses personification to make nature seem more real and dramatic. This is evident in Part II, Line 83-84 where Coleridge writes, “The Sun now rose upon the right/Out of the sea came he.” He is giving nature all the power in this poem. Romantics thought that nature was all powerful and man was not. They believed that man was only temporary in this world. Romantics also believed that nature was a god – or that it replaced God. Coleridge states, “instead of the cross, the Albatross/about my neck was hung” (Part II, Line 141-142). These lines show that the Albatross is symbolizing a great burden, which is what a cross traditionally symbolizes. Nature has replaced religion.
Although the poem was clearly written to reflect Romanticism, there are times, especially towards the end, where the “Rime of the Ancient Mariner” appears to be a Christian morality story. As stated previously, Romantic thinkers replaced God with nature. The plaguing doubt in my mind is why does a story that is meant to be Romantic use so many Christian allusions? The moral of the story is essentially, “He prayeth best, who loveth best” (Part VII, Line 614). The Mariner learned that by loving everything God made, including the slimy water snakes, one can become closer to God. This does not coincide with what Romanticism is all about. They disregard God and revere nature in His place. There is no simple explanation to this question. Perhaps Coleridge is pointing out that God and nature are one. You cannot love one without loving the other. This way of thinking may explain the significance of the Hermit in Part VI of the poem. He was once a monk, so he is still very religious. However, now he so lives at peace with nature. He is able to love both. Perhaps this is why the Mariner respected and was excited for him to shrieve his soul. Even if I am totally off the mark on that note, this confusing tug-of-was between Romanticism and morality may take away from my definition of Romanticism. This piece was supposed to exemplify it, but at the same time it does not. Now confusion is the only factor that I am able to take away from this otherwise enjoyable piece.