The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

1389 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The rime of the ancient mariner use of symbolism

It has been suggested that The Rime of the Ancient Mariner may be read as a religious text, presenting ‘nothing less than the fall of man’.

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner has been interpreted in a variety of ways since it’s creation in 1797. Some, such as Gavin McGann, argue that ballad is a story of our salvation of Christ, whereas others dispute this, believing it to be a metaphor for Original Sin in the Garden of Eden. Whilst these interpretations may differ, the view that The Rime may be read as a religious text does not. Religion lies at the heart of the poem, focusing on the trials and tribulations of man, depicting a moving spiritual journey of sin, punishment, repentance and eventual redemption.

In murdering the albatross the Mariner commits a terrible sin. The bird brought with it Southerly winds to lead the straying ship out of the Antarctic, after it had been driven off course by a storm. Flying alongside the ship, the albatross held only the good intention of helping the ship finds its way back on track. The mariner’s sin is fundamentally unpremeditated and unfounded, and in committing a crime against nature, he is essentially committing a crime against God, the creator of all nature and life. The punishment which the Mariner must face following the motiveless shooting of the albatross is not unjustified.

The crime arouses the wrath of supernatural spirits who then pursue the ship “from the land of mist and snow”; the Southerly wind which had initially led them from the land ...

... middle of paper ...

...re is no doubt that it does present, through allegory, the spiritual regeneration of man. However, to approach the poem with purely a Christian interpretation in mind would be foolish as there a many respectable alternative interpretations, including Freudian and Jungian, which, although dissecting the poem in different ways, each have their own strengths. So, it is fair to say that the suggestion that The Rime of the Ancient Mariner may be interpreted as a “religious text” is true as a text can be interpreted in whatever way a reader wishes to view it. However to limit and confine the poem to this would be unfair, as a text can always be interpreted from many angles, and it would be highly critical towards Coleridge to conclude that, when he sat down to write the Ancient Mariner, he did so with the aim of creating simply a religious tale.

Show More
Related

  • Changes in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

    499 Words  | 1 Pages

    The reader might not understand how to interpret the stanza; they could interpret however they wanted to. Coleridge placed the glosses in so that the reader would understand the Mariner woke up and realized that he had done his penance. These...

    Read More

  • The Rime Of The Ancient Mariner

    382 Words  | 1 Pages

    In Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, the author uses the story of a sailor and his adventures to reveal aspects of life. This tale follows the Mariner and his crew as they travel between the equator and the south pole, and then back to England. The author's use of symbolism lends the work to adults as a complex web of representation, rather than a children's book about a sailor.First, in the poem, the ship symbolizes the body of man. The ship experiences trials and tribulations just as a real person does. Its carrying the Mariner (symbolizing the individual soul) and crew shows that Coleridge saw the body as a mere vessel of the soul. This symbol of a boat is an especially powerful one, because one steers a ship to an extent, yet its fate lies in the hands of the winds and currents.Secondly, the albatross symbolizes Christ. Just as the Mariner senselessly slays the bird, man crucifies Christ whose perfection is unchallenged. Even though Christ represents mankind's one chance at achieving Heaven, man continues to persecute Him. The albatross symbolizes the sailors' one chance at deliverance from icy death and the Mariner shoots him.Thirdly, the South Pole symbolizes Hell. No visible wind blows the unfortunate crew toward the South Pole. Rather, an unseen force pulls them there. Such is the case when the world's temptations lure one to Hell. Just as the sailors approach far to close to this icy purgatory, their Redeemer, the albatross, or at least his spirit, leads them safely back in the right direction.Fourthly, in the poem England symbolizes Heaven. When the Mariner first sees his country, a great sense of hope and joy overcome him. At the point when the Mariner is about to enter Heaven, the body, symbolized by the ship, must die.

    Read More

  • Figurative Language In The Seafarer

    670 Words  | 2 Pages

    Roughly halfway into the poem, his religious outlook is revealed as he expresses how “the joys of the Lord are hotter for me than this dead life, loaned on land” (64b-65). Even though the hardships of a seafarer appeals to the speaker, he thinks of himself as a “dead” man who would rather enjoy “the joys of the Lord” (64b-65). The speaker addresses the unexpectedness of death for those “who dreads not the Lord” and the utter instability of the earth (106). “The Seafarer” presents the idea that the Lord is the only stable thing in the universe and the cure to the inner conflicts of the speaker. The speaker’s continued explanation of the short life of earthly things emphasizes this idea. The sea travel before ultimately and undoubtedly becomes a metaphor of the spiritual journey of a devoted Christian.

    Read More

  • The Rime Of The Ancient Mariner Symbolism Essay

    1023 Words  | 3 Pages

    To begin with, the killing of the albatross signified the love that Christ had among his people, and the execution he was forced upon in order for the hope of reassurance of his people. “Is it he? quoth one, “Is this the man? By him who died on cross, With his cruel bow he laid full low The harmless Albatross. The spirit who bideth by himself In the land of mist and snow, He loved the bird that loved the man Who shot him with his bow.” (Lines 398-405). Samuel Coleridge dignifies the crucifixion of Jesus Christ with the execution of the albatross. Religious symbolism reflects the apocalypse meaning throughout the killing of the albatross.

    Read More

  • The Rime Of The Ancient Mariner

    1308 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge Part 1 a old man stops one man out of three that were walking down the street to go to a wedding the man is a relation of the married the man tries to get away but the old man grabs the man with his skinny hand the man is held there by the glitter of the old man's eye the man is listening intently "Like a three years' child" the old man has the man's attention the wedding guest sat down on a stone the mariner went on with his story the boat was anchored by a kirk KIRK- church EFTSOONS - unhand me ship was sailing south because sun came up on the left side of the boat they sailed closer to the equator every day because the sun came overhead MINSTRIL - musicians the bride has started to walk down the isle and the music is playing the old man carries on there was a storm at the equator the storm drove them to the south pole the storm was very strong they went through mist and then it started to snow it became very cold they went by very large chunks of ice floating through the water (icebergs) there was nothing but ice and snow and there was no animals, just ice an albatross flew over after a few days the men were happy to see it because they needed hope the men fed it the ice broke in front of the boat and then they sailed through the ice to safety a good south wind helped them sail north the bird followed them KEN - know something NE'ER - never VESPERS -days the bird stayed with them for nine days the ancient mariner shot the albatross with his cross bow HOLLOW - called albatross PART II burst of sea - ship wake there was no more bird following the boat (the felt alone again) they ran out of food the people on the boat cursed at the mariner for killing their omen of good luck the wind had stopped Gods own head - sun averred - swear, agree to they thought that the bird had brought the fog because the fog had cleared after the bird died the breeze stopped and the boat stopped the sky was clear and it was very hot they were at the equator because the sun at noon was above the mast they stayed there for a few days without wind it was like they were a painting "Water, water, everywhere," they could not see anything

    Read More

  • Wrong Actions in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

    676 Words  | 2 Pages

    "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" helps implement all this cycle with the murder of the albatross and how he must pay for his actions. The whole cycle begins with the mariner’s crime against nature:  the shooting of the albatross.   In the story, the mariner betrays nature by shooting the Albatross.

    Read More

  • The Open Boat Analysis

    805 Words  | 2 Pages

    The narrative description is of a beautiful sea, not vengeful. These two depictions are another subtle conflict within the story of man against nature.

    Read More

  • The Ancient Mariner Is a Wise Man (An Essay About The Rime of the Ancient Mariner)

    818 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...This is probably my favorite poem that I’ve ever read. It has such influence on so many popular ideas today. It talks about loving and respecting nature, which I agree with completely. When I hear of people killing animals just for fun, it makes me mad. It’s hard to make me mad, but one thing that never fails is total lack of respect for nature, or anything, for that matter. I think we should all take a good hard look at a certain stanza of this poem again. “He prayeth best, who loveth best All things both great and small; For the dear God who loveth us, He made and loveth all.” If everyone understood these lines, and took them to heart, Coleridge would be very pleased, and the mariner’s penance would have not been served in vain. The world would be a better place. Man and nature would no longer be “out of tune.” This is the romantic poem of romantic poems.

    Read More

  • The Big Lesson from the Poem, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge

    574 Words  | 2 Pages

    He has to feel a pain in his chest that becomes unbearable until he sees a certain soul that is the right one to tell. No matter what. In the long poem, “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” by Samuel Taylor Coleridge has three lessons about human life: supernatural, pride, and suffering. In “Rime” by Sam Coleridge, the mariner goes through many supernatural events that scare him into submission. Coleridge does a great job of describing the scenery around the boat that the mariner resides in.

    Read More

  • The Wedding Guest in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

    844 Words  | 2 Pages

    As the ancient Mariner described his adventures at sea to the Wedding-Guest, the Guest became saddened because he identified his own selfish ways with those of the Mariner. The mariner told the Guest that he and his ship-mates were lucky because at the beginning of their voyage they had good weather. The mariner only saw what was on the surface -- he did not see the good weather as evidence that Someone was guiding them. Also, when he shot the Albatross, the Mariner did not have any reason for doing so. The Albatross did nothing wrong, yet the Mariner thought nothing of it and without thinking of the significance of the act, he killed the bird. At this, the Guest was reminded of how self-absorbed he, too, was, and the sinful nature of man. At the beginning of the poem he was very much intent on arriving at the wedding on time. He did not care at all about what it was that the Mariner had to tell him; he did not want to be detained even if the Mariner was in trouble. Instead, he spoke rudely to the mariner, calling him a "gray-beard loon", and tried to go on his own way.

    Read More

  • Samuel Taylor Coleridge's The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

    1496 Words  | 3 Pages

    Overall “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” is poem that seems like a simple story told by a sailor about his woes at sea. But Coleridge uses many details to make symbols throughout the story for the reader to interpret and see the connections between it and religion. Whether it be through the Christ like albatross, which most would just see as a simple bird, or the woman on the boat showing how the lifestyle might be fun but ultimate leads to nothing we see that these small details create a bigger story than what is just on the cover.

    Read More

  • Theme of Christianity in "Rime of the Ancient Mariner"

    1047 Words  | 3 Pages

    A significant theme in Samuel Coleridge's "Rime of the Ancient Mariner," is Christianity, which is portrayed through the Mariner’s epic journey. This text is set between the physical world and the metaphysical (spiritual world), similar to religious teachings found in the Bible. With the use of vivid descriptions and strong language in this ballad, moral lessons appear that connect both man and God in order to discover an innate bond and understanding. Though this tale is overwhelmingly bizarre and dark, the moral lessons taught are in line with central aspects of both the romantic period and the Christian religion. In Coleridge's ballad, "Rime of the Ancient Mariner," many Christian ideals are represented throughout the treacherous journey of the Mariner, such as sin, forgiveness, and prayer.

    Read More

  • Imagination in the Rime of the Ancient Mariner versus Kubla Khan

    968 Words  | 2 Pages

    However, in the two works by Coleridge, the imagination takes on different roles in each world. In the Ancient Mariner, the imagination is the substance that holds all life together, much like how the millio...

    Read More

  • The Allegory of The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

    866 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...ort the reader into a spiritual journey of guilt, retribution, and rebirth as a symbol of the journey of Christianity. Expressing the inherent struggles of humanity for sin and redemption, "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" allows the reader to suppose that supernatural situations are real. Coleridge uses supernatural events to bring to live the ideas he expresses in his work. "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" clearly demonstrates the ideals of Christianity as salvation and the power of sympathetic imagination.

    Read More

  • Themes In The Rime Of The Ancient Mariner

    735 Words  | 2 Pages

    How often does someone try to tell you something that they find is important, but you choose to ignore it? What if there is a chance that the things they want to tell you could be life changing. Samuel Coleridge, a great poet and a life long friend of the also well know poet William Wordsworth took this idea into consideration. The writing of The Rime of the Ancient Mariner tells the tale of a young boy who was heading to a wedding party with his friends that was stopped by an older man so he could be told a story. Although hesitant the boy stayed and listen to the story told by an old sailor. Within the story the boy learned three key messages, visiting a church may be more

    Read More

More about The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

Open Document