The Rime of the ancient Marine
Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner," written in 1797, has been widely discussed throughout literary history. Although critics have come up with many different interpretations of this poem, one idea that has remained prevalent throughout these discussions is the apparent religious symbolism present throughout this poem. "The Ancient Mariner" contains natural, gothic, and biblical symbolism; however, the religious and natural symbolism, which coincide with one another, play the most important roles in this poem. It is apocalyptic and natural symbolism that dominates the core of this poem. The biblical symbolism found in this poem mainly reflects the apocalypse, as it deals with the Mariner's revelation that good will triumph over evil, and his acceptance of all nature as God's creation. It is impossible to believe that Coleridge was not thinking of the mysterious wind that blows on the Mariner, without any awareness of the wind as a Biblical symbol of the Holy Spirit. Coleridge could also not associate the murder of the albatross with the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The reader is told that the Polar Spirit "loved the bird that loved the man who shot him with his bow." It is doubtful that someone with
Coleridge's Christian background and faith could fail to see here an analogy with God who loved his son who loved the men that killed him. Throughout this poem there are many examples of biblical symbolism in nature. Coleridge uses different elements of nature, such as the sea, as symbols of religious thought or beliefs. The sea is where the decisive events, the moments of eternal choice, temptation, and redemption occur. While at sea, the Mariner makes the eternal choice to kill the Albatross. This choice is eternal because once the Mariner has committed the act of murder; there is nothing that he can do to change it. As a result of the Mariner's decision, a curse falls over the ship and the Mariner is sentenced to eternal penance. The eternal penance that he must serve is a reminder to the Mariner of the choice that he made. However, even after the death of his soul, the Mariner experiences redemption when he recognizes and learns to love all God's creations. It is a known fact that Coleridge's thoughts and feelings where rarely affected by his beliefs, especially the apocalypse. The apocalyptic story deals with God's freeing the soul of man from the pains of sin and death, and lifting it into paradise. After the Mariner kills the albatross, he feels as if he is under some sort of curse. However, the Mariner goes through as conversion, which thus releases his soul from the pains of sin and death so that he can once again obtain happine
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Approximate Word count = 978
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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