Essay on Christianity in rime of the Ancient Mariner

Christianity in rime of the Ancient Mariner The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, penned by Samuel Coleridge, and published for the first time in 1798 in the co-authored â€Å"Lyrical Ballads† with William Wordsworth, is a poem in which an old sailor recounts his tales to a young wedding guest. The tale of the old seafarer was so unbelievable and supernatural, that the wedding guest and all others who hear the tale are captivated and, as Coleridge suggests, listen â€Å"like a three years’ child† (15). Embedded through the Mariner’s tale is a story that resembles the Christianesque path from sin to salvation. Throughout his poem, Coleridge uses the Albatross as a Christ-like figure to illustrate the stages of the Mariner’s sin, repentance,†¦show more content†¦Then, as the Mariner continues, â€Å"The Albatross did follow† (72), just as Christ did not save and leave, but he is omnipresent, just as the Albatross. After the salvation of the sailors, with the Albatross in tow, the Mariner feels jealousy and hatred and murders the Albatross, killing the very thing which gave him and his ship mates’ life. Lines 81-82 explain the act: â€Å"With my crossbow/I shot the Albatross† (81-82). The use of the crossbow as the weapon of choice is a clear symbol of the cross which Christ died on. The Mariner soon realizes his treacherous act and begins to feel repentance for it as seen in lines 91-92: â€Å"And I had done a hellish thing/And it would work ‘em woe† (91-92). This is a continuation of the cycle of Christian sin – death and repentance. As a sacrament for his sin, the Mariner is feels compelled to wear the Albatross around his neck. This is reminiscent of the common cross that many Christians around their neck to always remind them of Jesus Christ’s sacrifice for them on the cross. All sins have consequences, and the Mariner soon realized the consequences of his transgression. The lives of his shipmates, his dear friends, were lost, and he must float, alone and windless until he learns the value of all living creatures from the birds above, to the animal that roam the plains, to the fish and even the sea snakes that reside below. The marineShow MoreRelatedTheme of Christianity in Rime of the Ancient Mariner Essay1059 Words   |  5 PagesA significant theme in Samuel Coleridges Rime of the Ancient Mariner, is Christianity, which is portrayed through the Mariner’s epic journey. This text is set between the physical world and the metaphysical (spiritual world), similar to religious teachings found in the Bible. With the use of vivid descriptions and strong language in this ballad, moral lessons appear that connect both man and God in order to discover an innate bond and understanding. Though this tale is overwhelmingly bizarre andRead MoreEssay on The Allegory of The Rime of the Ancient Mariner876 Words   |  4 PagesThe Allegory of The Rime of the Ancient Mariner According to Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia, an allegory is described as a fictional literary narrative or artistic expression that conveys a symbolic meaning parallel to but distinct from, and more important than, the literal meaning. This is true in Samuel Taylor Coleridges poem, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner is an allegory that symbolizes the inherent struggle of humans facing the ideas of sinRead MoreThe Rime Of The Ancient Mariner1290 Words   |  6 Pages he Rime of the Ancient Mariner† shows many accounts of religious imagery which was used by Samuel Taylor Coleridge to add to the work as a whole. When Coleridge wrote ‘The Rime Of The Ancient Mariner, Coleridge s faith was going down hill and he didn t have a clear view of the path he wanted to go down. In this view, â€Å"The Rime of the Ancient Mariner† can be read as an analogy of the voyage of Coleridge’s search for a Christian God. By the end of the poem, it looks like Coleridge never findsRead More Symbolism in â€Å"The Rime of the Ancient Mariner† Essay1712 Words   |  7 Pages In 1798, Samuel Taylor Coleridge published his poem â€Å"The Rime of the Ancient Mariner†. Several editions followed this, the most notable being the 1815 version, which included a gloss. This poem has grown to become well known and debated, especially concerning the message that Coleridge was attempting to impart. The interpretation of the poem as a whole and of various characters, settings, and objects has been the subject of numerous essays, papers, books, and lectures. There are approximatelyRead MoreEssay about Reflection on Rime of the Ancient Mariner1130 Words   |  5 PagesReflection on Rime of the Ancient Mariner Samuel Coleridges poem entitled Rime of the Ancient Mariner is written as a ballad, in the general form of the traditional ballad of medieval or early Elizabethan times. Coleridge uses the ballad stanza, a four-line stanza. He is able to achieve a richer, more sweeping sense of the supernatural through these expansions; he is able to move beyond the more domesticated kind of supernaturalism of the four-line stanza. He starts with the usualRead MoreEssay about Rime of Ancient Mariner1551 Words   |  7 PagesThe Rime of the Ancient Mariner, a complex tale of an old seafarer, was written by Samuel Taylor Coleridge and published in 1798. According to the Longman Anthology of British Literature, the work first appeared in â€Å"Lyrical Ballads†, a publication co-authored with William Wordsworth (557). The ancient mariner’s journey provides for such a supernatural tale, that all who must hear it, specifically the wedding guest in the poem, are enthralled. Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of the mariner’s taleRead MoreAnalysis Of The Rime Of The Ancient Mariner 2394 Words   |  10 PagesTashinga Chitambira Salsbury Brit Lit 18 April 2016 Finding Christian Imagery in â€Å"The Rime of the Ancient Mariner† Many people read Samuel Coleridge’s ballad, â€Å"The Rime of the Ancient Mariner,† and find various and complex symbols. Among these symbols are spiritual and religious analogies. The poem connects God and Nature and the way that God is represented in â€Å"All things great and small,† (Coleridge 7.617). There is an allegorical nature of Coleridge’s work best found in his Christ like albatrossRead MoreCritical Analysis of Coleridges The Rime of the Ancient Mariner2466 Words   |  10 Pagescomplex web of themes and symbols within the seemingly simple plot line of The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. The story of the seafarer with the glittering eye (1.13) and his puzzling tale at sea told to an unwilling listener, the Wedding Guest, unfolds into a multifaceted array of planned sequences, heavy religious undertones, and hints at a biographical account of Coleridges past. If one reads The Rime of the Ancient Mariner simply as a tale at sea, the poem stands as a remarkable one with its continuousRead MoreOld Norse Literary Traditions : Causes And Consequences Of Gothic Literature1547 Words   |  7 Pagesliterature, Coleridge’s poem â€Å"The Rime of the Ancient Mariner† could be considered a Gothic poem in that the literary work utilizes rhetoric and subject matter familiar to the Gothic genre. The Ancient Mariner’s tale functions as a medium that explores â€Å"the perverse impulses and nightmarish terrors that lie beneath the orderly surface of the civilized mind† through a religious perspective. The poem employs supernatural elements as a source of conflict for the Mariner and his crew, and can be interpretedRead MoreAnalysis Of The Poem The Rime Of The Ancient Mariner 948 Words   |  4 PagesWho Had Served in the Slave Trade†, presents an important reflection on the cruelty of the slave trade and appoints Christian values as a means towards redemption. Southey s poem seems to have been inspired by Samuel T Coleridge s â€Å"The Rime of the Ancient Mariner†, however, his focus in the poem shifts away from vivid imagery into a thought provoking tale of the Middle Passage. The poem focuses on two men. One man is called the Stranger and the other is named the Sailor. Southey utilizes capitalization