RIme of the Ancient Mariner

A detailed Summary of RIme of the Ancient Mariner

"The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" is a strange and mystical odyssey that explicates the mental and physical challenges of a mariner throughout a long and laborious journey. As each character faces an obstacle, both moods of pain and joy are established during the narrative poem. Samuel Taylor Coleridge uses figurative language to let the reader feel and sense the positive and negative feelings the Mariner experiences on his mysterious trip.

Coleridge makes the words come to life with the uses of similes and personification to send jolts of pain and terror into the reader's mind. For example, the "Storm Blast", "tyrannous and strong," struck the mariner's ship with "o'ertaking wings and chased [them] south along" (l 41-44). The tyranny of the storm helps the reader easily envision the scene, as the storm, so strong that it has total control of the ship, literally chases it south. It also seems like the captain has been dethroned, as the storm is making all of the choices and commands for the helmsmen. Furthermore, "with sloping masts and dipping prow," (l 45) the reader can conclude that labeling the storm as strong would be an understatement, as it seems like a devilish demon from another world has come to destroy their

Coleridge creates feelings of discomfort and celebration in his poem "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner." The figurative language only adds to the power of the words used, as they create various feelings that the reader can relate to. Coleridge also takes the reader on several mood swings, as the feeling of dejection can quickly change to jubilance. The great sense of emotion really capture what Coleridge is trying to say, which enables the reader to understand completely what is going on. Once that happens, the reader can appreciate the value of the poem to its fullest.

On the other hand, Coleridge creates a great sense of happiness so strong that it can be transferred to the reader. For instance, the Albatross, which had been hung around the Mariner's neck as punishment for shooting it, "fell off, and sank like lead into the sea" (l 290-291). It is as if the Mariner was immediately freed from his wrong-doing, as the appearance of the albatross quickly distanced itself from the Mariner. The albatross had been a symbol of shame and guilt to that point, as the men on the ship eventually judged the killing as a "hellish thing" (l 91). They had hung the albatross around his neck as a form of punishment, to signal that the killing of the Albatross is an offense against nature, and that the guilty one, which is the Mariner, must suffer the punishment that the universe feels. Each and every sailor had cursed the Mariner with their eyes, making the Mariner feel an enormous amount of culpability, making him want to die, which he cannot. There has already been the administration of punishment by Life-In-

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Approximate Word count = 1089
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English