Rime Of The Ancient Mariner Essay

Andy Williams
Mr. Leonaard
ENG 4U1
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner Essay
The lengthy poem called The Rime of the Ancient Mariner written in 1797 by Samuel Taylor Coleridge demonstrates the Mariner’s struggle through the consequences that he is faced with as a result of his actions. This poem is abundant with symbol and metaphor in the manner in which it has been written. The Mariner’s long, grey beard and glittering eye, the Albatross, and the Sun and Moon are all objects of symbolism and metaphor that are evident in this poem. The first bit of symbolism in this poem is demonstrated when the ancient Mariner is described as having a “long grey beard and glittering eye,” (Coleridge 3). This “glittering eye” is a
symbol of the unknown, and gives the reader a sensation of mystery as the ancient Mariner pulls the wedding guest into a state of trance and total concentration. It is used to catch the reader’s interest to continue reading and to make the reader eager to know what the ancient Mariner is going to tell the wedding guest. The way that the ancient Mariner’s eyes are describes as “glittering” also symbolize that he is so passionate and excited about what he is about to tell the wedding guest and that it is bound to be an emotional story because glittering eyes can mean that tears are about to fall from them. These can be either tears of joy, or sadness, and the reader becomes anxious to figure out which emotion the story brings. The physical attribute of the ancient Mariner having a “long grey beard” is an archetypal symbol of experience and wisdom. This physical characteristic gives the reader an understanding that the man is old, and with age comes experience and wisdom. This gives the reader the assumption that the ancient Mariner has a story filled with wisdom and experience to pass on to the wedding guest. The physical appearance of the ancient Mariner having a “long grey beard and glittering eye,” (Coleridge 3) are examples of symbolism of the story that is to be heard in the poem. The second objective of symbolism in the poem is the Albatross which is the root of many occurrences that take place.
The Albatross is a chronological example of human sin toward one another. A human lives a life of hope, next is torn down by being victimized by another human, than the wrong-doer feels guilt is he or she has a conscience like any human should. It can be said that the Albatross is a symbol of hope, and benevolence because the Albatross’ presence seemed to have moved the ship through the ice as described, “The ice did split with a thunder-fit; The helmsman steered us through!” (Coleridge 69-70). The Albatross can also be looked upon as a symbol of victimization in the eyes of the reader. The ancient Mariner shoots the bird simply just for the reason that he had the power to do so, possibly even out of jealousy that it was benefitting the crewmates more than he seemed to be doing in terms of getting the ship moving. The Mariner simply admits, “I shot the Albatross,” (Coleridge 80). As the story proceeds, the Albatross becomes a symbol of guilt. It is worn around the ancient Mariner’s neck, which symbolizes that the fact that he killed the bird is a weight on his shoulders, literally and metaphorically. “Instead of the cross, the Albatross About my neck was hung,” (Coleridge 141-142), describes the sin that the ancient Mariner must carry with him in relation to how Jesus had to carry our sins with his cross. The Albatross shows symbolism and metaphor in the
way in which it demonstrates human-to-human sin including the states of hope, victimization, and guilt. The final symbols that are shown in the poem are the aspects of the Sun and the Moon.
These are two things in nature that are opposite to each other but are interconnected at the same time because without night we would not have day and the other way around. The Sun and Moon symbolize the spiritual realm of God. In the poem, the Sun is a representation on the reprimanding and disciplinary side of God. After the ancient Mariner had shot the Albatross, with the Sun comes consequences for his action as the wind starts to die down and the ship begins to stop moving, which is what all the shipmates dread. “Down dropt the breeze, the sails dropt down, 'Twas sad as sad could be; And we did speak only to break The silence of the sea! All in a hot and copper sky The bloody Sun, at noon,” (Coleridge 107-112). Contrasting the Sun, in the poem, the Moon represents the merciful, compassionate side of God. The Moon seems to bring on the departure of the curse of the Albatross from the ancient Mariner. The moon brings calm, and the Albatross falling from the Mariner’s neck into the sea symbolizes the removal of this curse. This glorious even for the Mariner is demonstrated in the lines, “The moving Moon went up the sky,” (Coleridge 264)… “The selfsame moment I could pray; And from my neck so free The Albatross fell off, and sank Like lead into the sea, ” (Coleridge 289-292). Whether God is acting in a generous or scolding manner, either way, the idea is that God has overall power. It
is shown in the end of the poem that God had been in control the entire time and had stood behind every occurrence which had taken place. This is evident when the Moon is shining in the dead sailor's eyes in the lines, “All fix'd on me their stony eyes, That in the Moon did glitter. ” (Coleridge 437-438). The Sun and Moon are aspects of nature that are symbols for both extremes of God; the compassionate God, and the reprimanding God, and also the fact that God is always in control. The poem written by Samuel Coleridge, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, portrays consequences that come along with the ancient Mariner’s irrational acts and how they affect everyone. The poem is rich with symbolic representation and metaphor, and some examples are the Mariner’s “grey long beard and glittering eye,” the Albatross, and the Sun and Moon which all lead to ramifications for all characters of the poem.