Coleridge's Rime of the Ancient Mariner: Symbolism

Introduction: A Landmark of English Romantic Poetry

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 doomed because of the mariner's killing of an albatross — a large white bird which sailors have long viewed as a symbol of death if 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 crucial role in the poem's overall effect. 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.

The Mariner's Psychological Journey

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 occurring on the wide open seas — though 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 specter. 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.

Isolation, Terror, and the Color of Death

The parts of the poem that are among the most intriguing include the lines "And a thousand slimy things / Lived on; and so did I" (Part IV, lines 15–16), which indicate that the mariner sees himself as nothing but a slimy creature cast upon the wide open sea — his journey taking a turn for the worse when he kills the albatross and condemns himself and his crewmates to death.

Another intriguing passage occurs 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, surrounded by the whiteness of the waves. White here functions as the true color of terror, much like the skin of a dead man — all white and drained of blood. After realizing that the killing of the albatross was a crime, the mariner is also 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 deeply symbolic: it means that the mariner and his crewmates are all doomed to roam the seas as dead men because of the mariner's act.

Conclusion: Coleridge's Enduring Legacy

Due to Coleridge's masterful use of poetic metaphor and symbolism, "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" has withstood the test of time and is still widely read and studied despite the passage of almost two hundred years. As one of the greatest poets of his generation, Samuel Taylor Coleridge was obviously haunted himself — at least psychologically — by many strange and mysterious thoughts and ideas. Yet the characters and settings in the poem serve the reader quite well, and the work remains a towering achievement of the Romantic imagination.