“The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” is an exploration of the unconscious mind. How do you respond to this reading of the poem?
“The Rime of the ancient Mariner” occurs in the natural physical world-the land and the ocean. But there is a huge connection to the spiritual, metaphysical world. I think that the poem is an exploration of the unconscious mind, since the poem has dream like qualities. Things that are real come in contact with the superficial. In the poem the Pilot and the wedding guest are in the world and the Mariner seems to be trapped in between both worlds.
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Coleridge uses narrative techniques such as personification and repetition to create either a sense of danger, of the supernatural or serenity, depending on the mood of each of the different parts of the poem. In the Ancient Mariner’s story itself, the spiritual and temporal worlds are confounded the moment the sailors cross the equator. Suddenly the natural world, which is closely connected to the spiritual world, makes the sailors lose control of their course. The storm drives them into an icy world that is called “the land of mist and snow” throughout the rest of the poem. An Albatross emerged from the mist, and the sailors revered it as a sign of good luck, as though it were a “Christian soul” sent by God to save them. The Ancient Mariner shoots the Albatross as if to prove that it is not an airy spirit. The Albatross is intimately tied to the spiritual world, and thus begins the Ancient Mariner’s punishment by the spiritual world by means of the natural world. Rather than address him directly; the supernatural communicates through the natural.
The ocean, sun, and lack of wind and rain punish the Ancient Mariner and his shipmates. 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. When the dead men come alive to curse the Ancient Mariner with their eyes, things that are natural-their corpses-are inhabited by a powerful spirit. The Albatross is mortal, but closely tied to the metaphysical, spiritual world-it even flies like a spirit because it is a bird.
The Ancient Mariner detects spirits in their pure form several times in the poem. When the ghost ship carrying Death and Life-in-Death sails by, the Ancient Mariner overhears them gambling. Then when he lies unconscious on the deck, he hears the First Voice and Second Voice discussing his fate. When angels appear over the sailors’ corpses near the shore, they do not talk to the Ancient Mariner, but only guide his ship. In all these instances, it is unclear whether the spirits are real or figments of his imagination. The Ancient Mariner-and we the reader-being mortal beings, require physical affirmation of the spiritual. 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.
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At the poem’s end, the Ancient Mariner preaches respect for the natural world as a way to remain in good standing with the spiritual world, because in order to respect God, one must respect all of his creations. This is why he valorizes the Hermit, who sets the example of both prayer and living in harmony with nature. So we can say that this poem is about the connection between the metaphysical and the physical world. Therefore, I think that this poem is an exploration of the unconscious mind.
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