Critical Appreciation of ‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’ (Part I) – S.T. Coleridge

Introduction

‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’ is one of the best poems of S.T. Coleridge was first published in the first edition of famous collection ‘Lyrical Ballads’ in 1798, which has poems of both Coleridge and Wordsworth. The first part of this long poem focuses on introduction of Ancient Mariner and his killing of albatross at the end of the part leaving readers shocked.

Central Idea

The first part of the poem introduces a supernatural figure named as an ancient mariner, and he tells his story forcefully to a guest going to attend a wedding. The poem has adventures journey of the mariner, in which he and his crew is accompanied by an albatross when they were in trouble, but mysteriously mariner killed that albatross at the end of the first part of the poem. Hence, the poem leaves the readers in suspense at the end of the part first.

Themes

1. The power of Nature – The first part of the poem has delineated power of Nature in the form of sea. The sea storm blown away the ship of the mariner towards south where they were trapped in a silent icy world. It was a dismal situation that poet writes ‘Ice was here, ice was there, ice was all around’.
2. Sin of human against Nature- At the end of the first part, the ancient mariner committed a sin by murdering the Albatross, who is presented as a creature sent by the God. It is portrayed as a Christian soul. The act of killing it by the Mariner is a crime against the nature by the humans. It was the albatross which came as a ray of hope for the Mariners when they were hopelessly trapped in the ice and no man or beast could be seen in that icy sea. The entry of the albatross paved path for their release from the confinement. This albatross then became their daily companion. But for some unknown reason, the ancient mariner killed him by his crossbow.
3. Supernatural elements – The first part consists supernatural elements such as hypnotic powers of the ancient mariner who captured the wedding guest by his stare only and didn’t let him go. Then at the end of the part First of the poem, while narrating story to the wedding guest the mariner was seen terrified, as he has seen a ghost. It was due to the sin committed by him.

Figure of Speech

1. Alliteration – ‘his hand dropt he’ has alliteration as there is repetition of consonant sound /h/ at the starting of words.
2. Consonance – ‘It cracked and growled, and roared and howled’ has repetition of /d/ consonant sound except at the starting.
3. Simile – Bride is compared to rose as the writer writes ‘Red as a rose is she’ has simile. Similarly ice is compared to emerald later on. Coleridge writes ice was looking ‘As green as emerald’.
4. Personification – Storm is personified and it is addressed by the poet with ‘he’. ‘He is tyrannous and strong’.
5. Polysyndeton – There is repetition of ‘And’ at the starting of three lines continuously. “And now there came both mist and snow, / And it grew wondrous cold: / And ice, mast-high, came floating by”

Hence it’s an example of Polysyndeton. It is a device in which repetition of conjuctions such as ‘AND BUT OR NOT’ is used.

Elements of Suspense

First of all, at the starting of the poem a stranger (ancient mariner) is trying to stop another stranger (wedding guest) to listen his story. It is full of suspense that why a stranger is acting in such a manner. Later on, at the end of the first part the Ancient Mariner killed albatross. This part of the poem does not explain the reason for killing that innocent Bird. Hence, it leaves the readers in suspense. Although it is cleared in further parts of the poem that mariner considers the Albatross as a bad omen, who has stopped free flow of the wind.

Premonition

The first part of the poem sets an eerie tone for the rest of the poem. It gives an indication of something bad going to happen with the murder of the albatross.  

Structure and Rhyme scheme

The first part of the poem has 82 lines. It is mostly written in quatrains with ABAB rhyme scheme. Poet has also used internal rhymes such as ‘The ship was cheered, harbour cleared’ in which cheered and cleared are rhyming inside a single line.

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