Figurative Language In The Rime Of The Ancient Mariner

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner is one of Coleridge’s unique poems because of its length, in consistent rhyme scheme and ancient language. The poem has an inconsistent rhyme scheme, the majority of the poem rhymes in ABAB and ABABAB with a few exceptions in the 5 line stanzas. Coleridge’s use of figurative language such as: symbolism, imagery, colors and word usage creates a life-like experience for the reader allowing for a clear grasp. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner has a mysterious setting in the beginning when a random mariner came up to the young man. The wedding guest and the reader both questioned the mariner and what his actions were. Throughout the tale the setting changes to a hopeful narrative when the albatross shows up to steer the ship when all the men on the ship are lost in the seas of Antartica. The albatross symbolized hope for all the men on the ship, however the tale takes a turn for the worst when the Mariner decides to kills the albatross. The setting in the tale after the death of the albatross completely shifts to a dark and gloomy environment. Because the albatross symbolized hope and security, the men were filled with rage once the Mariner shot the albatross. After the death of the albatross the men on the ship decided to put the albatross around the
The extreme heat killed all the men on the ship except for the Mariner. The Mariner finally feels tons of regret and guilt because he was the one that caused all the chaos on the ship. The Mariners heart was as dry as the weather. When all the men died the Mariner began to see strange things in the sea and on the ship. The sea turns into a red color in the shadow of the ship, the red sea illustrates all the dead men the Mariner killed : “But where the ship's huge shadow lay, The charmed water burnt alway, A still and awful red” (IV.48). The red color also sets a new tone to the tale: death and