The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

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The Rime of theAncient Mariner

• By
• Samuel Taylor Coleridge
• 1772-1834

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Lyrical Ballads

• Published in 1798 with William Wordsworth
• The Rime of the Ancient Mariner opens the Lyrical
  Ballads

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Ancient Mariner

• long gray beard and glittering eye
• It is the eye that holds the attention of the
  Wedding Guest
• Suggests the supernatural

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Ancient Mariner

• Major Change
• Initially view nature from a negative perspective
• slimy
• Needlessly kills the albatross
• Once he begins to appreciate nature, the curse is
  broken and he is able to pray.

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Ancient Mariner

• Penance
• Must retell his story
• Initiated by some sort of burning from within
• Only retelling the story alleviates the pain

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Ancient Mariner

• Penance
• Travels from land to land
• Has strange powers of speech
• Has the ability to speak multiple languages
• Suggests divine intervention
• Recognizes who must hear his story
• Suggests divine intervention

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Wedding Guest

• Cannot escape the eye of the Mariner
• Fearful of the Mariner
• Believes that he is a ghost
• Why is the Wedding Guest chosen by the Mariner?
• Possesses a similar flaw
• Lack of harmony with nature

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Hermit

• Religious man/priest
• Kneels three times a day
• In tune with nature
• His cushion is a moss covered stump
• Therefore, he is painted in a positive light by
  Coleridge

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Symbols

• Albatross
• Symbol of nature
• Dies at the hands of the Mariner
• Loves the Mariner
• Demonstrates natures desire to harmonize with
  humanity

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Themes

• Religion
• Divine Intervention
• No waves or wind in the ocean
• Allows the boat to travel at incredible speeds
• With the condition of the boat, it should not
  realistically be able to sail
• The burning inside the Mariner

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Themes

• Religion
• Forgiveness and Penance
• Needs the Hermit to forgive him
• In order to be forgiven, the Mariner must perform
  his penance

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Themes

• Creating a Harmony Between Humanity and Nature
• Major theme of the Romantic Age
• Once the Mariner embraces nature, the curse
  begins to evaporate

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Themes

• Creating a Harmony Between Humanity and Nature
• The Mariners mission is to warn people who
  display the characteristic that at one time
  dominated his life
• Find people who are not in sync with nature
• Tell them his story
• Change their ways
• Harmonize humanity with nature