The author of this poem is Samuel Taylor Coleridge.

He is best known for writing long poems

which include characteristics like the love of liberty, interest in the supernatural, nature and the
development of individuals, the power of imagination, and so on. He published this poem in
1798.

The poem begins by introducing the Ancient Mariner, the protagonist of this poem. He stops one
wedding guest to tell him the story about him traveling at sea. The story starts with his ship
encountering a tremendous storm which blows the ship closer to its destination. Here, we are
introduced to an albatross which is seen by sailors as omens of good luck. Due to Mariner’s
selfishness and immorality, he shoots and kills the albatross. After this event, the wind stops and
the ship is trapped completely by the ocean and sailors become very thirsty. Due to this, all the
crew members die. The Mariner finds that he cannot die and realizes that once he appreciates
and respects all of God’s creatures, he will be able to escape his curse. With this realization, he
prays and the dead Albatross that his crew hung around his neck falls from him and sinks into
the sea, representing his freedom from guilt and shame. He ends the story by sharing that
prayer is the greatest joy in life, and the best prayers come from love and respect of all of God’s
creation.

The conflict of this poem begins when the mariner shoots the albatross. His crew in the ship
become very angry and he faces the wrath of the spirits who try to punish him for his crime. The
crew members force the mariner to hang the dead Albatross around his neck as a sign of
shame and regret. Later, the ghostly spirits curse all the members and kill them. But the mariner
survives to bear his burden of guilt. He is then forced to go around the world and tell this story
over and over.

The symbols of this poem include the albatross, weather, sun, moon, and sea. First, the
albatross is portrayed as a Christian soul. More specifically, it symbolizes an innocent Christian
person who has done nothing wrong. The reason is because it does good things for the sailors.
It brings wind to the ship. So every sailor, except the ancient mariner, believes that the albatross
is a sign of a good omen. So, the albatross in this way becomes a symbol of innocence. It also
symbolizes Christ. Christ came into the world to save humanity. He was innocent but the people
crucified Him. It is also the case with the albatross. It does good things for the people but in
return receives death from them. It is also portrayed as a symbol of change. It brings favorable
winds; however, when the ancient mariner kills him, it brings destruction not only for him but
also for other sailors. Second, weather is represented as a person’s life. Specifically, it
symbolizes ups and downs in the life of a person. This is because at the start of the poem,
everything goes well with the weather but soon the weather becomes unfriendly for the sailors.
Moreover, different things symbolize something. Sun is a symbol of influence, heat, thirst,
dryness and external force. Moon controls the tides of the ocean. Finally, sea is a symbol that
can be used in positive and negative meanings. It is used for life as well as for death. It can
destroy large ships but it also gives food to the sailors.

The themes of this poem include sin and penance, the power of prayer, and mystery and the
supernatural. Sin and penance. After sinning by killing the albatross, the mariner must go
through suffering and punishment. So he is condemned to go around the world and tell his story
of his wrongdoing. Prayer. It is represented as vital as it helpes Mariner to have hope in times of
despair. Mystery and the supernatural. There are many supernatural elements such as ships
moving with favorable wind, ship’s appearance and disappearance, two mysterious voices, and
so on.
Scorse, Yvonne. “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.” Enotes,
“https://www.enotes.com/homework-help/in-the-rime-of-the-ancient-mariner-what-might-the-231
467.” Retrieved on 11 January 2023.

“The Rime of the Ancient Mariner Summary.” Litcharts,

“https://www.litcharts.com/lit/rime-of-the-ancient-mariner/summary.” Retrieved on 11 January
2023.

“The Rime of the Ancient Mariner Summary and Analysis.” Writing Explained,
https://writingexplained.org/literature/rime-of-the-ancient-mariner/summary. Retrieved on 11
January 2023.

“The Rime of The Ancient Mariner Symbols.” Ask Literature, 30 July 2022,
https://askliterature.com/poetry/the-rime-of-the-ancient-mariner-symbols/. Retrieved on 11
January 2023.

Beauchamp, Scott. “Coleridge’s visions in verse.” The New Criterion, 15 June 2017,
https://newcriterion.com/blogs/dispatch/coleridges-visions-in-verse. Retrieved on 12 January
2023.

Dore, Gustave. “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.” Research Gate,

https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Gustave-Dores-illustrations-to-The-Rime-of-the-Ancient-Mar
iner-No-saint-took-pity_fig1_233539387. Retrieved on 12 January 2023.

Rumens, Carol. “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge.” The Guardian,
26 October 2009,
https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2009/oct/26/rime-ancient-mariner. Retrieved on
12 January 2023.

Dore, Gustave. “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.” Research Gate,

https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Gustave-Dores-illustrations-to-The-Rime-of-the-Ancient-Mar
iner-And-yet-I-could-not-die_fig2_233539387. Retrieved on 12 January 2023.

Piepenbring, Dan. “The Ancient Mariner of the Future, and Other News.” THE PARIS REVIEW,
27 April 2017,
https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2017/04/27/the-ancient-mariner-of-the-future-and-other-new
s/. Retrieved on 12 January 2023.

“The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.” TvTropes,

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Literature/TheRimeOfTheAncientMariner. Retrieved on
12 January 2023.
“The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.” Classnotes, 10 November 2018,
http://beena10.blogspot.com/2018/11/the-rime-of-ancient-mariner.html. Retrieved on 12 January
2023.

“Coleridge and the Rime of the Ancient Mariner.” Classical Stuff, 6 September 2022,
https://www.classicalstuff.net/episodes-1/2022/9/6/213-coleridge-and-the-rime-of-the-ancient-ma
riner. Retrieved on 12 January 2023.

Chimoa, Ibiam. “The Rime Of The Ancient Mariner.” Creative Writing News, 13 August 2019,
https://www.creativewritingnews.com/the-symbolism-of-the-sun-and-moon-in-samuel-coleridges
-lyrical-ballad-the-rime-of-the-ancient-mariner//. Retrieved on 12 January 2023.

“The Rime Of The Ancient Mariner.” Role Model Change Makers,

https://www.rolemodelchangemakers.com/home/2020/3/25/the-rime-of-the-ancient-mariner.
Retrieved on 12 January 2023.

“The Rime Of The Ancient Mariner.” 4umi, http://4umi.com/coleridge/rime/5. Retrieved on 12

January 2023.