Transcript Rime of the Ancient Mariner

by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Lyrical Ballads
Published in 1798
with William Wordsworth
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
opens the Lyrical Ballads
Ancient Mariner
“long gray beard and
glittering eye”
It is this eye that holds
the attention of
the Wedding Guest.
(suggests supernatural)
Symbols
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The albatross symbolizes nature.
Most species of albatrosses wander the southern seas,
drinking sea water and feeding on squid, cuttlefish,
and other small sea creatures.
Sometimes, they follow ships to feed on their scraps.
An old superstition says killing an albatross brings
bad luck, although sailors have been known to kill
and eat them.
Ancient Mariner
Major Character Change
Initially, the mariner does not
appreciate nature. He is not in
harmony with nature.
The mariner needlessly kills the
albatross. He must then wear the dead
bird around his neck.
Once he begins to appreciate nature,
the curse is broken and he is able to
pray again.
Wedding Guest
The guest is approached by the
Mariner and cannot escape his eye.
He is fearful of the Mariner, and
believes that the Mariner is a ghost.
Themes
Crime & Punishment
 Penance & Forgiveness
 Divine Intervention
 Creating a Harmony
Between Humanity & Nature

Structure & Rhyme
Coleridge divides the poem into seven parts. Most of the
stanzas in the poem have four lines; several have five or six
lines.
In the four-line stanzas, the second and fourth lines usually
rhyme.
The sun now rose upon the right:
Out of the sea came he,
Still hid in mist, and on the left
Went down into the sea.
Meter
What is iambic pentameter?
Iambic means foot.
Pentameter means five measures.
Meter
In the stanzas that have four lines, the meter
alternates between iambic tetrameter (four feet
per line) and iambic trimeter (three feet per line).
The SUN | now ROSE| upON| the RIGHT:
Out OF | the SEA| came HE,
Still HID | in MIST, | and ON | the LEFT
Went DOWN | in TO | the SEA.