The Rime Of The Ancient Mariner Religion Essay
Introduction
Samuel Taylor Coleridge, one of the most outstanding figures of Romanticism, was born into a religious family. His father was the vicar of Ottery St Mary, a small village in Devon, and through him Coleridge became familiar with the principles of Christianity. Although a number of critics have tried to prove the contrary, references to Christianity can be found in Coleridge’s most famous poetic creation: The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.
Some critics argue that Coleridge’s profound interest in religion was responsible for the use of religious images in his poems. According to Lipkowitz, Coleridge had learned the Hebrew language in order to read the Bible in its original and praised it as an unequalled literary work. Lipkowitz …show more content…
After the redemption of the Mariner has been completed, a troop of spirits enter the dead bodies of the crew and sail the ship home. The Polar Spirit is also responsible for the movement of the ship up to the Equator where it leaves the ship and returns south. But in following the ship the Polar Spirit seeks to avenge the death of the Albatross. Coleridge explains that “the lonesome spirit from the south pole carries on the ship as far as the Line, in obedience to the angelic troop, but still requireth vengeance” and is convinced to leave the ship, only when it is informed that “penance long and heavy for the ancient Mariner has been accorded” (Allison et al., …show more content…
The Albatross is the first embodiment of salvation in the poem. It appears out of the mist and fog when the mariners’ ship has reached the South Pole which Coleridge himself describes as “the land of ice and of fearful sounds where no living thing was to be seen” (Allison et al., 569). The Albatross becomes the mariners’ savior just as Christ was sent to this world as the savior of mankind. Arguing that the ice is the cause of the mariners’ separation from the natural world, Suther calls it a favorable separation because it brings about the Albatross which is hailed in God’s name like a Christian soul (92). In other words, the first stage of paralysis in ‘the world of ice and snow’ is required for the appearance of the Albatross, just as the fall of Adam was necessary for Christ to be sent to this world as savior of
Samuel Taylor Coleridge, one of the most outstanding figures of Romanticism, was born into a religious family. His father was the vicar of Ottery St Mary, a small village in Devon, and through him Coleridge became familiar with the principles of Christianity. Although a number of critics have tried to prove the contrary, references to Christianity can be found in Coleridge’s most famous poetic creation: The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.
Some critics argue that Coleridge’s profound interest in religion was responsible for the use of religious images in his poems. According to Lipkowitz, Coleridge had learned the Hebrew language in order to read the Bible in its original and praised it as an unequalled literary work. Lipkowitz …show more content…
After the redemption of the Mariner has been completed, a troop of spirits enter the dead bodies of the crew and sail the ship home. The Polar Spirit is also responsible for the movement of the ship up to the Equator where it leaves the ship and returns south. But in following the ship the Polar Spirit seeks to avenge the death of the Albatross. Coleridge explains that “the lonesome spirit from the south pole carries on the ship as far as the Line, in obedience to the angelic troop, but still requireth vengeance” and is convinced to leave the ship, only when it is informed that “penance long and heavy for the ancient Mariner has been accorded” (Allison et al., …show more content…
The Albatross is the first embodiment of salvation in the poem. It appears out of the mist and fog when the mariners’ ship has reached the South Pole which Coleridge himself describes as “the land of ice and of fearful sounds where no living thing was to be seen” (Allison et al., 569). The Albatross becomes the mariners’ savior just as Christ was sent to this world as the savior of mankind. Arguing that the ice is the cause of the mariners’ separation from the natural world, Suther calls it a favorable separation because it brings about the Albatross which is hailed in God’s name like a Christian soul (92). In other words, the first stage of paralysis in ‘the world of ice and snow’ is required for the appearance of the Albatross, just as the fall of Adam was necessary for Christ to be sent to this world as savior of