The Rime of the Ancient Mariner is
perfect evidence of Coleridge's wild and vivid imagination. He takes bits and
pieces of mythology and symbolism and builds a story exploring both life and
death. The power of supernatural forces over the ship and its crew helps to
make the Mariner's own weakness clear. The supernatural is often related to weather
and astrological events in this poem. After reading the poem, it is clear that Coleridge
is fascinated by pirate life, life and death in a heavenly ground and godly
images. The poem centers on death and paints an eerie dark image of death and
life after death. When speaking about the boat and the sea, the poet uses
passionate and enthusiastic words suggesting he finds beauty in these subjects.
Throughout the poem, there is a real struggle,
a struggle between reality and the supernatural. The real aspects are simple; these include the
physical things, in the start of the poem like:
-The details about wedding
-The weather
-The position of the sun
-The hemisphere
-The Mariner's country
Further into the poem though, we see many unnatural references
within the story like:
- The old mariner with his “glittering eye” and its
hypnotic power
- The mysterious force that forces him to tell his story
-The albatross, a sacred bird with supernatural power
-The presence of strange creatures (spirits, angels,
sea-monsters)
-The ship driven by mysterious forces
Though in the poem there is no explanation of
supernatural events, only a rich and detailed visual description of the
external world, often through the use of metaphors. The most significant
metaphor, runs throughout the entire story, is that of the one between the
Mariner's state of mind and the reality surrounding him.
