How Does The Rime Of The Ancient Mariner Influence Frankenstein

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Mary Shelley was first exposed to Samuel Coleridge’s writing and philosophy when she was a young child, listening to him read “Rime of the Ancient Mariner” in her father’s study (Karbiener xiii). This left a large impact on her life as she was inspired by his Romantic ideas and theories, which is easily seen in her novel Frankenstein. Coleridge’s influence on Mary Shelley is shown through her similar characters, the framed narrative, and the common themes regarding isolation and familiar structure. There are many very obvious parallels between the Mariner of “Rime of the Ancient Mariner” and Frankenstein. These characters are both forced to tell their stories and hold their audience captive, the Mariner with “his glittering eye” (Coleridge) and Frankenstein with “his …show more content…

The worst punishment is the isolation that characters in both works feel, leading to the theme that forced isolation causes terrible damage to the human psyche (Karbiener). Coleridge’s impact on Shelley’s philosophy is seen here, as a theme of his poem is repeated with Shelley’s novel. The fact that Shelley incorporated it into her novel reveals the deep influence that Coleridge had on her. Shelley also takes this theme a step further by extending it to the Monster, as Frankenstein “rushed out of the room” as soon as he was given life (Shelley 59). Readers are able to see the effect of this forced isolation on the Monster, as he begins to turn to murder and revenge against those that abandoned him. It is what causes Victor’s downfall, all because he refused to take care of his creation and give him the company and education that every new being needs before they are ready to face the rest of the world. This theme of forced isolation and the negative effects it has on humans is explored by both authors, continually reminding the readers of the impact Coleridge has

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