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Rime of the Ancient Mariner (Punishment ("Ah! well a-day! what evil…
Rime of the Ancient Mariner
Context
Romanticism
1834
Coleridge was said to have come up with the idea of ROTAM during a walk with Wordsworth in 1797
Inspiration came from a sailor called
*Simon Hatley
He was
becalmed at sea after shooting an albatross in 1797
He believed it was associated with bad weather
His crewmates said it was a companion.
He was then picked up by a Spanish ship and taken to Lima and was
tortured
(Spanish Inquisition)
The area, south of Tierra Del Fuego, was very cold and hostile.
One of the seamen lost sensation in his hands and fell to his death.
Views of Coleridge
Disliked autocratic government
Strongly democratic views, criticised those who ignored every man’s right to choose and have meaning (Romanticism is all about following the common man)
Like many Romanticists, he was an individualist, valuing those qualities that man is unique and human (also emotions)
Supported the French Revolution’s philosophy but didn't like its violent methods
Spent time as a priest. Was a Pantheist=believed that God was evident in his creation and that his creation spoke to the creator.
Also Rousseau (Coleridge used some of his ideas)believed humanity was essentially good but corrupted by the influence of society
Wordsworth's influence on Coleridge
Coleridge began to experiment in style and subject matter
Adapted lower and middle class speech as a vehicle for their thoughts.
Wanted to give reader pleasure (Genre Theory)
Wordsworth and Coleridge were interested in presenting the psychology of different characters
Wordsworth inspired Coleridge to move to the Lake District which influenced his greater philosophy in nature (nature was a key inspiration for the ballads)
Wordsworth focused on everyday occurrences while Coleridge focused on supernatural. This enabled Coleridge to view the beauty and terror of nature (sublime)
For most of his adult life he suffered due to addiction to opium.
ROTAM features supernatural themes and intense imagery which could have been influenced by the drugs. For example:
Life-in-Death and Death,
The voices the Mariner hears
Marxism in ROTAM
Coleridge shows the class differences in ROTAM.
The Mariner and crew represent the lower class that are trapped in (French) society
The power of nature and the presence of God controls and victimises the ‘lower class’ in ROTAM.
He viewed the French peasants, the lower class, as victimised and he supported the political change they were fighting for.
Also, can see how the Mariner shoots the Albatross and receives a huge punishment, just like the French peasants would receive a large punishment for a minor crime.
For example, stealing bread led to harsh punishments (Injustice)
Victim
The Mariner
Wordsworth says the Mariner "does not act, but is continually acted upon"
This would suggest that the Mariner is not at fault, it was simply aggression for God and nature.
Justice/injustice
However, it is he who shoots the Albatross (but it could have just been innate arrogance, not his decision)
The Albatross
"Why look'st thou so?' With my cross-bow
I shot the Albatross
The crime
Crime against nature
#
Crime against God
"As if it had been a Christian soul
We hailed it in God's name"
"It perched for vespers nine"
Albatross is the symbol of religion
Internal rhyme of "cross" and "Albatross" links the Albatross to religion
What were the Mariner's motives?
Arrogance of man, thinking he's more powerful than animals-eco-critics
Enjambment
leaves the image f the cross-bow lingering, suggests the deliberation of the Mariner. Reader wonders what will happen next
According to a genre theory view, this is the climax since it is this crime which leads to the punishment, and finally repentance.
Had been helping the ship, did not deserve its fate
"And a good south wind sprung up behind;
The Albatross did follow,
And ever day, for food or play,
Came to the mariner's hollo!"
Positive verbs and nouns
"good"
"sprung"
"hollo" (call to attention, usually with encouragement)
"play"
Albatross wasn't harming the ship, in fact, it was helping them.
Albatrosses are clumsy when walking, but strong in the air. The Mariner should respect all animals despite their flaws (like he learns later with the water-snakes)
The Albatross could have also symbolised his father, who was Reverend John Coleridge (religious). When he died he caused Coleridge to fall into depression
"In mist or cloud, on mast or shroud,
It perched for vespers nine;
Whiles all the night, through fog-smoke white,
Glimmered the white moon-shine""
Motif of benevolent moon once again, they are making good progress
Internal rhyme of "mist" and "mast", and "cloud" and "shroud"
Pleasing to the ear, shows the happy tone
Shows the connection between everything of God's creations (One Life)
The crew
"Four times fifty living men,
(And I heard nor sigh nor groan)
With heavy thump, a lifeless lump,
They dropped down one by one"
"One after one, by the star dogged Moon,
Too quick for groan or sigh,
Each turned his face with a ghastly pang,
And cursed me with his eye."
Accusation
from the crew as they die, he is the one to blame
"Too quick for groan or sigh", done very quickly so they don't know what's happening. No suffering, just like the Albatross.
They are too blame because they are accomplices but not the direct cause, so are allowed some happiness.
"cursed me with his eye", eyes are the window to the soul. He has been placed under the power of their eyes (like the Mariner has power over the Wedding-Guest
The Pilot's boy
"I took the oars: the Pilot's boy,
Who now doth crazy go,
Laughed loud and long, and all the while
His eyes went to and fro.
'Ha ha!' quoth he, 'full plain I see,
The Devil knows how to row.'"
The Pilot's boy has been corrupted by the Mariner who is full of sin, possessed by evil spirits ("his eyes went to and fro")
Repetition of "l" sounds, with long vowel sounds lengthens the speaking, showing the extent of the Pilot's boys insanity
The Mariner is being compared to the Devil, he has drifted from God.,
Accusation
Setting
"And now the storm-blast came, and he
Was tyrannous and strong:
He struck with his o'ertaking wings.
And chased us south along"
Zoomorphism
of the storm, like a bird ("o'ertaking wings"). Has a mind of its own, a purpose to destroy the ship
Foreshadows the appearance of the Albatross (once again showing the principle of 'One Life' of all animals working together
Rhythm break at "o'ertaking", nature trying to stop the unbridled progression of man. Chaos
Semantic field of violence
"storm-blast"
"tyrannous"
"strong"
"struck"
"chased'
This contrasts with the Wedding-Guest since only "beats" is used in relation to him
While mankind has fractioned, and split up in their conflicts, nature works together to repulse the Mariner's voyage.
This idea links to Coleridge's 'One Life' principle in that all of nature is connected in some ways to work together.
This reflects the great power of nature and that man can never hope to equal it.
The binary opposition between man and nature is seen in this stanza
"And now there came both mist and snow,
And it grew wondrous cold,
And ice, mast-high, came floating by,
As green as emerald."
Entering the Antarctic
Simile
describing the ice as "green"
Not pure and white. Corrupted and tainted, foreshadows something malevolent coming
Could be linking to plankton, large ecosystem, One Life view that all of nature is working together as one
Rich, wealthy. (links to the "gold" locks of Life-In-Death). Humans are greedy, see money everywhere
Later the Mariner says he "viewed the ocean green".
This suggests that he is still bringing forth the corruption upon the world and has still wronged God even if He may have forgiven the Mariner.
It suggests that even if the Mariner reforms, there will still be members of mankind who sin and wrong God.
Awe, the sublime. Danger of the "mast-high" ice, could easily destroy the ship
Though contrasts with the placid verb, "floating"
Showing the beauty of nature (Romanticism vs Enlightenment), it should be valued as highly as a precious stone (Emerald)
Use of the repeated conjunction, "and" shows the great scale of the beauty of the ice
Stanza follows typical qualities of a lyrical ballad,
Iambic trimeter/tetrameter
No rhyme (ABCD)
. This shows normality of nature, it may always be like this in the Antarctic, and it hasn't been affected by the Mariner's journey. This goes against the idea of nature trying to repulse the voyage.
"The ice was here, the ice was there,
The ice was all around:
It cracked and growled, and roared and howled, Like noises in a swound"
Anaphora, repetition of the start of the sentence, emphasises the vast immensity of the ice field.
Sensory imagery
, auditory
"cracked", "growled, "roared", "howled"
Creates a hostile environment, and once more
zoomporphism
of nature: it is the predator and has captured its prey (the ship) in the icefield
Violent imagery foreshadows danger to come
Follows on from, "The ice was all between" in the previous stanza, the fact that "The ice" carries on after the stanza break shows the enormity of the ice field
The South Pole is isolated from civilisation, the crew and the ship are vulnerable
Motif of the sun and moon
Sun represents the vengeful god, bad things happen during the day
"The Sun now rose upon the right: Out of the sea came he,"
Sun rises when the Albatross has been killed
"Nor dim nor red, like God's own head, The glorious sun uprist: Then all averred, I had killed the bird
"All in a hot and copper sky,
The bloody Sun, at noon"
Metaphor of the "copper sky" links to blood (blood is often described as having a "copper" colour. Malevolent tone created and foreshadows doom to come
Oppressive heat, leads to drought
"bloody Sun" suggests everything is melting, the natural order is falling apart due to the death of the Albatross
Moon represents the benevolent god, good things happen during the night
"The fair breeze blew, the white foam flew,
The furrow followed free"
Use of
fricative
(repeated 'f' sounds), calming noise, peaceful. Represents the sound of the calm sea
Part 2 Stanza 6
"He kneels at morn, and noon, and eve-
He hath a cushion plump:
It is the moss that wholly hides
The rotten old oak-stump"
The Hermit is religious, praying 3 times a day. He is one of the only characters in ROTAM which isn't victimised because he is religious
Links to what the Wedding-guest sits on ("Wedding-Guest sat on a stone:". The Hermit is pure because he is religious and is amongst nature; he hasn't been corrupted like the Wedding-Guest as a result of civilisation (Romanticism vs Enlightenment)
Setting reflects moral sin since the Mariner travels far away from the "kirk" and is ultimately punished. It is only once he returns to his "own countree" that he is "shrieved"
"With sloping masts and dipping prow,
As who pursued with yell and blow
Still treads the shadow of his foe,
And forward bends his head,
The ship drove fast, loud roared the blast,
And southward aye we fled"
"shadow of his foe" and "pursued" links to "He knows a frightful fiend/ Doth close behind him tread." (line 444/5).
This puts forth the idea that it was not entirely the act of killing the Albatross that resulted in the Mariner's punishment to walk for eternity telling of his story, but rather the setting out on the journey, linking back again to the Romanticist vs. Enlightenment debate
Also, from a Christian perspective, "shadow of his foe" may link to the judgement of God who is omniscient and is always watching the actions of mankind, so while one cannot physically see it, a God-fearing person would always feel his presence and know they are being observed
Weakness of humanity ("fled", "forward bends his head", "dipping prow"(submissive)and semantic field of the strength of nature ("yell and blow", "roared the blast")
Binary opposites
Punishment
"Day after day, day after day,
We stuck, nor breath nor motion;
As idle as a painted ship
Upon a painted ocean.
Palindromic sentence
, emphasises the perpetuity of the becalming
Simile
, "as idle as a painted ship" shows how still they are, like people are watching them, the scene has been manufactured
Metaphor
, "painted ocean" links to this too
Shows the beauty of the scene, awe, the sublime (Romanticism)
"Water, water, every where,
And all the boards did shrink;
Water, water, every where
Nor any drop to drink"
7 syllable 1st and 3rd lines breaks the rhythm, shows their desperation, fumbling and trying to rush speech. Disruption of natural order
Numerous
monosyllabic
words: too thirsty to use lots of polysyllabic words, desperate
The
repetition
of the "Water, water, every where", is as if the ocean is taunting the crew. There's so much water but they cannot drink any of it. Like Tantalus
The repetition of "Water, water every where" is called a
refrain
Suffering
"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!
Repetition
and reversal of "Down dropt", shows the becalming of the ship
Weather is mourning the death of the bird (half mast)
Everyone on the ship will pay for the crime
Dissonance
of "k" sounds, violent sounds. Mimics the Mariner's transgression against nature/God
"silence" inflicting judgement and guilt
"And every tongue, through utter drought,
Was withered at the root;
We could not speak, no more than if
We had been choked with soot"
"soot" links to industry and the enlightenment (unbridled progression prioritising human emotion). Also links to brimstone and the Devil, shows how the Mariner has strayed from God
1st person plural pronoun
"we" shows how they are all being punished collectively
Eye rhyme
, "root" and "soot", shows the fragmentation of the Mariner and the Crew who now distrust him. Everything is falling apart. Also, no rhyme means no pleasant sounds, everything is negative
Suffering
"There passed a weary time. Each throat
Was parched, and glazed each eye.
A weary time! a weary time!
How glazed each weary eye,
When looking westward, I beheld
A something in the sky"
"weary"
Repetition of "weary", shows the fatigue of all the crew. Use of the repetition of the exclamative "A weary time!" emphasizes the hardships they are under
Homophone with 'wary', shows fear, they are worried about what is to come (foreshadows danger)
Sestet, break of rhythm, reflects the pain they're feeling, draws focus to their condition. They want help
Caesura in first line lengthens speech, shows the duration of the becalming
Repetition of "eye" (identical rhyme), draws attention to it like before at the wedding. Powerful, window to the soul.
"glazed" suggests lifelessness
"Ah! well a-day! what evil looks
Had I from old and young!
Instead of the cross, the Albatross
About my neck was hung."
Accusation
from the crew, judgement
Exclamative sentences
, shows their accusation
Binary opposition
"old and young", shows everyone condemns him
Albatross symbolises the Mariner's evident
guilt
and his wrongdoings. His sins are for everyone to see
"About my neck was hung", links to gallows and foreshadows death and more punishment to come
Having the Albatross instead of the cross around his neck shows he has forsaken religion. He worshipping false idols, such as believing in the enlightenment.
Poetic inversion
of "what evil looks Had/ I from old and young!" emphasizes the evil nature of the Mariner's crime.
Assonance
in first line (eg "Ah!"), shows pain
Accusation
Poetic inversion
of "Instead of the cross, the Albatross About my neck was hung" emphasises the fact that the Mariner has forsaken religion by placing it towards the start of the sentence
"I looked to heaven, and tried to pray;
But or ever a prayer had gusht,
A whicked whisper came, and made
My heart as dry as dust"
The Mariner is unable to pray, God has forsaken him as a result of his crime
The Mariner has to tell people of his tale for all eternity
This is true because we, as readers, are being told of the tale again and again by the Mariner himself, this shows the truth of the story.
"Alone, alone, all, all, alone
Alone on a wide, wide sea!
And never a saint took pity on
My soul in agony"
Repetition
of "alone" thrice and "all" and "wide" twice shows the extent of his loneliness. He has been completely isolated as a result of his punishment
Could represent Coleridge being isolated from society as a result of his opium addicition
Vulnerable
Form
Lyrical ballad
Poem that tells a narrative
Typically
Quatrains
ABCB rhyme scheme
.
1st and 3rd lines: iambic tetrameter 2nd and 3rd lines: iambic trimeter
Common measure
However, breaks the rhythm sometimes in ROTAM
Takes form of traditional English ballad and combines it with Romanticist forms
Guilt
Stanza 3 in Part II
"For all averred, I had killed the bird
The crew condemns the Mariner's action of killing the Albatross
Rhythm broken here, shows the disruption of the natural order, emphasizes the
transgression
against nature
"That made the breeze to blow."
Ah wretch! said they, the bird to slay,
Exclamative
"Ah wretch!" shows how strongly the crew dislike the Mariner's action, shows their hatred and judgement
Poetic inversion
puts "wretch" towards the start of the line, prioritising the judgement placed upon the Mariner
"slay" is the last word, line ends with a comma, this all draws attention and focus to the act of the killing of the murder. Shows the importance of the crime.
That made the breeze to blow!"
Another
exclamative
to show the importance of the bird
Repetition
of this line, shows how the Albatross was a good sign and had been helping them. Bad thing to kill it
"And I had done a hellish thing,
Mariner recognising his wrong, feels
guilt
. Religious condemnation of "hellish"
"And it would work 'em woe:"
This stanza is a
sestet
(6 lines), breaks ballad form, shows disruption of natural order
Criminal
The crew
"Nor dim nor red, like God's own head,
The glorious Sun uprist:
Then all averred, I had killed the bird
That brought the fog and mist.
'Twas right, said they, such birds to slay,
That bring the fog and mist"
Links to vengeful god with the sun, the condoning of the killing goes against God.
The crew agree with the Mariner,and say he was right which contrasts with the previous stanza where they condemn it. They are fickle and act like sheep and so should be punished.
Harsh 't' sounds throughout (
dissonance
), creates a negative tone
Sibilance
used "'Twas right, said they, such birds to slay,", shows that by agreeing with the mariner, they are making the wrong choice. Going against God
Parallelism
of "That brought the fog and mist" links to "that made the breeze to blow". The Albatross is responsible for many things, both good and bad depening on POV
#
The POV of the accuser determines the punishment, so it could be subjective and unjust.
The Mariner
Moral framework
#
Mariner has to learn the enormity of his crime. The text supports a good, obedient, God-fearing life and condemns those who challenge moral boundaries. The Mariner disrupts the moral code but ends up God-fearing and religious
"He prayeth best, who loveth best
All things both great and small;
For the dear God who loveth us
He made and loveth all"
A key moral message of the text: you should love all of God's creations because God loves all of us
Didactic (moral message being passed by the author)
The Mariner has control over us, just like he has over the Wedding-Guest, this means that when the Wedding-Guest became "A sadder and a wiser man, /He rose the morrow moon." we are too. We take away the moral message the Wedding-Guest is given
Motive
Seemingly no motive- a random killing. The randomness could signify man's arrogance, believing humans are the most important and take prioritisation over nature and God
Pursuit/chase
"And some in dreams assured were
Of the spirit that plagued us so;
Nine fathom deep he had followed us
From the land of mist and snow"
The spirit keeps watch on the crew and the Mariner, and is only malevolent until the Mariner blesses the water snakes and then it helps the crew.
"plagued" has negative connotations, corruption
"Like one, that on a lonesome road
Doth walk in fear and dread,
And having once turned round walks on
And turns no more his head;
Because he knows, a frightful fiend
Doth close behind him tread"
Sestet used, breaks structure showing the Mariner's inner turmoil, the constant fear is never ending
Rhyme scheme: ABCBDB, like footsteps. Shows the ever present "fiend". All the rhyming words rhyme with "Dead" reminding the Mariner of his fate (Life-in-Death), and that he cannot die
The Mariner's punishment is to walk for all eternity telling people of his story. Like Cain in the story of Cain and Abel.
"lonesome road", the Mariner has been isolated from the rest of mankind. He killed his crew and even if he meets someone he must continue walking (punishment)
Social context which has an influence on the crime
"The ship was cheered, the harbour cleared,
Merrily did we drop
Below the kirk, below the hill
Below the light-house top"
Use of
anaphora
(repeated start of sentence/clause) shows their travel further from the land. However, could emphasise the descent away from the Church and towards hell.
The connotation of going "Below the kirk" is the crew forsaking religion in favour of progression thus they are punished by the storm. (Enlightenment vs Romanticism).
This represents the ideology of the Enlightenment of progression at all costs as seen with the positive verb "cheered" and the adverb "Merrily",
Use of assonance ("cheered", "cleared") shows the happy mood of their journey
Restoration of order
"I saw a third- I heard his voice:
It is the Hermit good!
He singeth loud his godly hymns
That he makes in his wood.
He'll shrieve my soul, he'll wash away
The Albatross's blood.
Rhyme scheme is ABCBDE (though eye rhyme for the last one)
Eye rhyme between "good" and "blood",
However, the slight link (the reason for the eye rhyme) is because the Hermit and the Albatross are both symbols of religion. The Mariner cannot fit into this though
if it were a true rhyme (perfect rhyme) then it would have linked the Hermit to the Albatross' blood though he was not the cause of its death.
Masculine rhyme of "wood" and "good" links the Hermit to nature
Literary advice: Masculine rhyme is where one syllable rhymes (eg flame and claim), feminine rhyme is when two syllables rhyme (landing and standing)
Hermit embodies the Romanticist image, he is a religious individual in tune with his emotions. He acts as salvation for the Mariner because he'll "shrieve" (forgive) him.
Shows that Romanticism is better than the Enlightenment according to Coleridge
The Mariner believes that the God-fearing Hermit can forgive his sins.
Confession
"O happy living things! no tongue
Their beauty might declare:
A spring of love gushed from my heart,
And I blessed them unaware:
Sure my kind saint took pity on me,
And I blessed them unaware."
From a Christian perspective, this is the climax which leads to the denoument since the Mariner has acknowledged hs crime and is on the path to repentence (for a Genre theory view, the climax is when the Albatross is killed)
#
The Mariner is on the path to repentance
Theories
By
psychoanalytical literary theory,
one may suggest that the water snakes represent Coleridge’s desire to escape his Opium addiction.
By a
narrative literary theory
, readers may conclude that the purpose of the slimy things is to allow the Mariner a chance to bless them and begin a process of reform
"The selfsame moment I could pray;
And from my neck so free
The Albatross fell off, and sank
Like lead into the sea.
The curse has gone, the Albatross symbolised the curse but has no left him
Simile "like lead" shows how heavy the guilt had weighed upon his mind. Also, shows how the curse won't be returned, it's on the bottom of the seabed
