Coleridge’s The rime of the Ancient Mariner

BackgroundThe Rime of the Ancient Mariner was written by Samuel Taylor Coleridge in 1798.

It was first published in Lyrical Ballads, the joint venture between Coleridge and another Romantic poet, William Wordsworth (more on the authors to come).

ChangesThe first version of the poem was entitled 

The Rime of the Ancyent Marinere, and much of the spelling was very archaic (even for that time).

In the 2nd (1800) edition, Coleridge, at Wordsworth's suggestion, had modernized much of the spelling in the poem, including the title.

More ChangesThe version we read today was publish in Coleridge’s Sibylline Leaves (1817).

Along with the changes in spelling, Coleridge also added stanzas, deleted stanzas, and changed the tense on some of his verbs.

SourcesIt is said that Coleridge got the idea for the

poem during a walk with Wordsworth and his sister Dorothy at Quantock Hills in Somerset (England) in 1798.

During the walk, Wordsworth told Coleridge about a story was reading: Helvocke's A Voyage round the World by the Way of the Great South Sea (1726), and the idea was born.

The story involved a sea voyage in bad weather and an albatross that is shot by a crew member.

More SourcesIt was also reported that a friend’s dream was the source of the story.

The dream involved a skeleton ship with crew on board.

Other speculation exists as well.

Famous Words In Biographia Literaria XIV, Coleridge writes:“The thought suggested itself (to which of us I do not recollect) that a

series of poems might be composed of two sorts. In the one, incidents and agents were to be, in part at least, supernatural, and the excellence aimed at was to consist in the interesting of the affections by the dramatic truth of such emotions, as would naturally accompany such situations, supposing them real. And real in this sense they have been to every human being who, from whatever source of delusion, has at any time believed himself under supernatural agency. For the second class, subjects were to be chosen from ordinary life...In this idea originated the plan of the 'Lyrical Ballads'; in which it was agreed, that my endeavours should be directed to persons and characters supernatural, or at least Romantic; yet so as to transfer from our inward nature a human interest and a semblance of truth sufficient to procure for these shadows of imagination that willing suspension of disbelief for the moment, which constitutes poetic faith. ... With this view I wrote the 'Ancient Mariner'.”

Narrative VoiceThe poem is told in 1st person.

Who is the narrator?

Examine the impact of the 1st person narration.

ThemesEvery crime comes with a punishment.

The power of guilt. (compelled to tell)

The importance of respecting the power and beauty of nature. (albatross & snake)

Gothic ElementsThe poem contains gothic (uncanny &

supernatural) elements.Examples:The tumultuous weather.The albatross as an “omen.” The spirits.Death & Life in Death.Etc.

Life in Death“When the ship gets close enough, the Ancyent

Marinere sees that it has no crew, only two figures: “Death” (perhaps a grim reaper?) and a woman. The woman is revealed to be “The Nightmare Life-in-Death”, and she’s gambling with Death over the soul of the doomed narrator. Life-in-Death wins, meaning that Death will not take him, though it seems Death gets to take the rest of the crew anyway. Life-in-Death only takes the Mariner: under a “star-dogged moon” (a crescent moon with a star by the tip, a universally recognized evil omen), the crew perishes, but the ancient mariner is denied the relief of death.” –Sam Alexander

Imagery & SymbolismThe poem contains vivid imagery that paints a

picture.Examples: “As idle as a painted ship/Upon a

painted ocean”.  (calming of the vessel)

"Water, water everywhere,And all the boards did shrinkWater, water everywhereNor any drop to drink”

Any symbols/imagery stand out for you?

LinksLet’s watch (some of) the story.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EpuaCaPML8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6TYaeI-NKQ (life in death)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKk43D5W_K8 (albatross released)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqDxAFW7jL4http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJ7fjTB9xbw (the

curse)

Next TimeRead the poems by Blake & Wordsworth. We

will also continue with Coleridge and look at “Kubla Khan.”