The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

Important themes presented in the story, Rime of the Ancient Mariner, include suffering, the spritual world, imprisonment and religion.

Spritual:

He holds him with his glittering eye –
The wedding-guest stood still,
And listens like a three-years' child:
The mariner hath his will.

Religion:

'Still as a slave before his lord,
The ocean hath no blast;
His great bright eye most silently
Up to the moon is cast –

Suffering:

With throats unslaked, with black lips baked,
We could nor laugh nor wail;
Through utter drouth all dumb we stood!
I bit my arm, I sucked the blood,
And cried, A sail! a sail!

One after one, by the star-dogged moon,
Too quick for groan or sigh,
Each turned his face with ghastly pang,
And cursed me with his eye.

Ah! wel-a-day! what evil looks
Had I from old and young!
Instead of the cross, the albatross
About my neck was hung.