RIME OF THE ANCIENT MARINER

Gothic Literature
1. What we fear (unknown) and what we desire
2. First – Horace Walpole novel The Castle
3. Anti-catholic & mystical
Gothic Element
1. Away from rational experience – after economic and social collapse when colonizers were
looting countries.
2. Contradictory to rationality – cannot explain everything.
3. Darker side of life – shadows of life – adult fairytale
4. Invokes fear, horror, terror
5. Supernatural horrors, dark, mysterious
Part I
• Ancient – how old he is cant be told – est. fact happened long time ago
• Mariner – sailor
• 3 young men going to wedding feast – holds one of them
• Person – close relative of bridegroom – have to be there
• First held by hand , then unhanded.
• Held the guest by his shining eye – hypnotic – bright eyed
• When ship began to sail – all relatives cheering
• Below the kirk – below the hill – below the lighthouse – descending – earth is round
• Sun rises on left – ship moving in southern direction – set off from England
• Wedding guest hears sound of wedding – he knows he needs to go but can’t
• Bride has come in hall – red as rose SMILEY
• Suddenly a storm came – powerful – takes ship towards southward fast
• (Gothic poetry – sudden twists)
• Reached south pole; surrounded my mist and snow – temp. dropped – surrounded icebergs tall
• Appeared: GREEN AS EMERALD (Due to algae/refraction)
• Ice was all around – no man or ship – dismal sleen (depressing radiance)
• Events abrupt – sailors scared.
• Suddenly came – Albatross;
o Long wingspan
o Fly for hours
o Friendly with sailors – guides
o Bird of good omen

• Poet calls – CHRISTIAN SOUL – came like angel

• Guided sailors – ice broke and made space for steering ship
• Ship moved northwards
• Sat on mast – ate food offered by mariners – sat for 9 whispers (church prayers) [9 Nights]
• Responded to call of mariners
 • Wedding guest says – why you look like plagued face? I KILLED IT WITH CROSSBOW

PART II
• South wind – means north moving
• No food/water
• All said – you killed the bird which made wind move, cleared ice
• Moved away from that place – and then said – you killed the bird which brought MIST (reached
place of glorious sun)
• Right to kill such birds
• Sun was now over them – became BLOODY SKY – COPPER SKY
• Just above them – day afer day – ship idle
• Painted ship over painted ocean
• Stuck for many days – no water left (water water every where) – dehydrated – ship boards
shrank
• Creatures around the ship slimy – creepy
• Water like – witches’ oil – burnt green, blue & white.
• Cant speak – only gaze at mariner – blame him for bad fortune
• FELLOW MARINERS – Fickle minded
• Hang albatross around his neck

PART III

• A speck, a mist, a shape, I WIST – THINK

• Dry – drank blood – and spoke a sail (Ship)
• Ship is moving – without breeze without tide
• Sun is about to set
• Life in Death(red lips but leprosy) and Death from skeletal ship come
• Play game of dice
• 200 Mariners dead – soul flewout from body – killer looks like whiz of crossbow
• Wedding guest afraid – if mariner was living or ghost?
• Mariner said – did not die
• Life in Death – won ancient mariner
• All alone – all mariners dead – calls them beautiful; Creatures in sea alive and he is alive where
they didn’t deserve – mariners were more beautiful and ought to live.
• Feels responsible for death – tries to pray but heart as dust – only wicked whisper comes
• Worst is curse of deadman’s eyes more than orphan’s curse – because he still did not die after 7
days
• The bodies of men not rotting –
• Albatross dropped, he could pray, he could sleep, it rained – got water
• Still raining – just above the ship
• Wind pushes in direction of home – bodies woke up and did work used to do – drove the ship
 • Wedding guest scared – mariner said it was spirits nothing else
• At dusk – bodies come near mast – sweet sound out of them
• Ship moves without wind or people – spirit below ship
• Mariner unconscious – fell due to inertia
• Mariner suggests – ALBATROSS was like christ who died on CROSS bow
• 2 Voices chat –
o Harsh & soft

• Holy Trinity – father, son, hermit

• Moon personified – ocean’s master
• Strong winds – ship moved
• Curse expiated – slimy creatures beautiful
• Mariner reached home
• Seraph man stood by dead bodies – he was made of light – each raised their hands
• PENANCE –
o Sees HERMIT and feels he would purify him

PART 7
• Hermit live by wood – he likes to talk to mariners
• The original ship sank – ship signifies body
• Hermit is very old – cant stand when they reach dock
• Hermit wants to know man so he can propose penance – mariner tells entire story
• Mariner felt ease and light
• Hermit told – must say this tale to people or heart would burn
• Mariner has power to identify person to whom story is to be told.
• MARINER TEACHES THE STORY NOT TELLS
• Mariner washes of sin – and others get learning
• Best prayer – love all, bird, beast and man. Dear god loves all, he made and love all

Bride also like albatross – might have seen same fate

Answer: Write quote from poems

SYMBOLS
1. Ocean
2. Moon – feminine – gracious – contrast – forgiving
a. Whenever anything good happens
b. Moon when mariner touches dock
3. Sun – masculine – harsh – judgemental - punitive
4. All creatures aligned with sun or moon
5.