Coleridge\'s Rime of the Ancient

Coleridge's Rime Of The Ancient Mariner

Considered by many literary scholars as the greatest example of English Romantic poetry, Samuel Taylor Coleridge's "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" relates the tale of a mariner and his wanderings aboard a mysterious ship that is doomed because of the mariner's killing of an albatross, a large white bird which sailors have always viewed as a symbol of death if it is killed through a malicious act. For the most part, the poem is full of psychological themes linked to the mariner's wanderings which play a very crucial role in the poem's overall effect. But most importantly, the mariner is trapped in a watery and dangerous world filled with the unknown which Coleridge manipulates through the use of human psychology.

After reading "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner," one has the impression that the psychological journey of the mariner has much to do with a deep sense of depression and isolation which Coleridge describes with "Alone, alone, all, all alone/Alone on a wide open sea!/and never a saint took pity on/My soul in agony" (Part IV, lines 9-12). In addition, Coleridge provides the impression that another aspect of this psychological journey is related to the Mariner trying to figure out why he is being forced to endure the tragedies that are happening on the wide open seas. But unknown to him, these tragedies are linked to the killing of the albatross. One excellent example can be found in Part Six of the poem, where the mariner states, "Like one, that on a lonesome road/Doth walk in fear and dread/and having once turned around walks on/and turns no more his head/Because he knows, a frightful fiend/Doth close behind him tread" (lines 37-42). This description shows that the Mariner is terrified of some unknown "fiend" which may be lurking behind him, much like a ghost or some other kind of mysterious spectre. Of course, this "frightful fiend" could very well be Death itself with a skull face, the symbol of death for sailors during the days when pirates roamed the open seas with the familiar "Jolly Roger" skull and crossbones flag upon the mast.

Personally, the parts of the poem that are the most intriguing can be found in the lines "And a thousand slimy things/Lived on; and so did I" (Part IV, lines 15-16) which indicates that the Mariner sees himself as nothing but a slimy creature cast upon the wide open sea where his journey takes a turn for the worse when he kills the albatross and condemns himself and his crew mates to death.

Another intriguing part is when the Mariner confronts the terrors of the sea "In the land of mist and snow" (Part V, line 113) which may indicate that the Mariner is lost in the misty atmosphere of the sea and the whiteness of the waves with white being the true color of terror, much like the skin of a dead man, all white and drained of blood. Also, after realizing that the killing of the albatross was crime, the Mariner is forced to roam the seas "upon the rotting deck" of the ship where the "dead men lay" (Part IV, lines 19-20). This description is very symbolic, for it means that the Mariner and his crew mates are all doomed to roam the seas as dead men because of the Mariner's killing of the albatross.

Although Coleridge's "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" is superbly written, there are parts that could use some development. Some would say that any attempt to change or alter this poem goes against all the principles of literary license, yet it is clear that Coleridge left plenty of room for perhaps additional characters and situations. For example, as previously mentioned, in Part IV, Coleridge mentions "a saint" which could be developed into St. Elmo, best known for his "St. Elmo's fire" which sometimes appears at sea on the masts and riggings of ships during a storm, or even St. Brendan the navigator, both of which are the patron saints of sailors.

Also in Part IV, Coleridge mentions "slimy creatures" which could be developed into some type of sea serpent or monster, such as a giant octopus or some type of mythological creature. Since sea-going sailors have reported seeing unidentified "sea monsters" for many hundreds of years, the Mariner too could have encountered some strange "slimy thing" in this part of the poem.