The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

This poem is very vivid, as the poet describes some spectacular scenes. These are
often memorable in themselves but also stand for (symbolize) other things, for the
people in the poem as much as the reader, sometimes. Elsewhere comparisons are
made to describe things, as when the becalmed vessel is said to be “As idle as a
painted ship/Upon a painted ocean”. Find some of the more striking or memorable
images (there are lots of them!) and discuss the use the poet makes of them.

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From the moment the Ancient Mariner offends the spirit of the "rime," retribution comes in the form of natural phenomena. The wind dies, the sun intensifies, and it will not rain. The ocean becomes revolting, "rotting" and thrashing with "slimy" creatures and sizzling with strange fires. Only when the Ancient Mariner expresses love for the natural world-the water-snakes-does his punishment abate even slightly. It rains, but the storm is unusually awesome, with a thick stream of fire pouring from one huge cloud. A spirit, whether God or a pagan one, dominates the physical world in order to punish and inspire reverence in the Ancient Mariner.

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