Unit 2
Unit 2
Unit 2
2.0 OBJECTIVES
In this unit we shall introduce you to another Romantic poet called Samuel Taylor
Coleridge who along with Wordsworth published ‘The Lyrical Ballads’ in the
early quarter of the 19th century. The extract prescribed for your course is from
Coleridge’s ballad The Rime of The Ancient Mariner. In the course of your study
of this unit, we will explain:
• the characteristics of a ballad
• an outline of the poem (of all the seven parts)
• a detailed analysis of the poem (Parts I,II&IV) that includes annotation
and
• critical analysis
• the poetic devices employed in the ballad.
vii) Normally a 4-line stanza is used with the first and third line consisting of
4-feet and the second and the fourth of 3-feet. Usually the rhyme scheme is
abcb.
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British Romantic Sounds from the wedding celebration are heard and as the wedding guest gets
Literature II ready to leave, the Mariner tells him that his greatest joy in life is to be a part
of the human community once again. The Mariner teaches by his own example
that as part of God’s creation we must love and revere all things that God has
made. The poem ends with the departure of the Mariner and the wedding guest
finds himself ‘a sadder and a wiser man’ after this strange encounter with the
Mariner.
83
British Romantic At length did cross an Albatross,
Literature II Thorough the fog it came;
As if it had been a Christian soul,
We hail’d it in God’s name.
It ate the food it ne’er had eat,
And round and round it flew.
The ice did split with a thunder-fit;
The helmsman steer’d us through!
And lo! the Albatross proveth a bird of good omen, and followeth the ship as it
returned northward through fog and floating ice.
And a good south wind sprung up behind;
The Albatross did follow,
And every day, for food or play,
Came to the mariners’ hollo!
In mist or cloud, on mast or shroud,
Itperch’d for vespers nine;
Whiles all the night, through fog-smoke white,
Glimmer’d the white moonshine.’
The ancient Mariner inhospitably killeth the pious bird of good omen.
‘God save thee, ancient Mariner!
From the fiends, that plague thee thus!—
Why look’st thou so?’—’With my crossbow
I shot the Albatross.
PART II
‘The Sun now rose upon the right:
Out of the sea came he,
Still hid in mist, and on the left
Went down into the sea.
And the good south wind still blew behind,
But no sweet bird did follow,
Nor any day for food or play
Came to the mariners’ hollo!
His shipmates cry out against the ancient Mariner for killing the bird of good
luck.
And I had done an hellish thing,
And it would work ‘em woe:
For all averr’d, I had kill’d the bird
That made the breeze to blow.
Ah wretch! said they, the bird to slay,
That made the breeze to blow!
But when the fog cleared off, they justify the same, and thus make themselves
accomplices in the crime.
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Nor dim nor red, like God’s own head, Samuel Taylor
The glorious Sun uprist: Coleridge: ‘The
Rime Of The
Then all averr’d, I had kill’d the bird Ancient Mariner’:
That brought the fog and mist. Ballad Tradition &
‘Twas right, said they, such birds to slay, Summary
That bring the fog and mist.
The fair breeze continues; the ship enters the Pacific Ocean, and sails northward,
even till it reaches the Line.
The fair breeze blew, the white foam flew,
The furrow follow’d free;
We were the first that ever burst
Into that silent sea.
The ship hath been suddenly becalmed.
Down dropt the breeze, the sails dropt down,
‘Twas sad as sad could be;
And we did speak only to break
The silence of the sea!
All in a hot and copper sky,
The bloody Sun, at noon,
Right up above the mast did stand,
No bigger than the Moon.
Day after day, day after day,
We stuck, nor breath nor motion;
As idle as a painted ship
Upon a painted ocean.
And the Albatross begins to be avenged.
Water, water, everywhere,
And all the boards did shrink;
Water, water, everywhere,
Nor any drop to drink.
The very deep did rot: O Christ!
That ever this should be!
Yea, slimy things did crawl with legs
Upon the slimy sea.
About, about, in reel and rout
The death-fires danced at night;
The water, like a witch’s oils,
Burnt green, and blue, and white.
A Spirit had followed them; one of the invisible inhabitants of this planet,
neither departed souls nor angels; concerning whom the learned Jew, Josephus,
and the Platonic Constantinopolitan, Michael Psellus, may be consulted. They
are very numerous, and there is no climate or element without one or more. The
shipmates in their sore distress, would fain throw the whole guilt on the ancient
Mariner: in sign whereof they hang the dead sea-bird round his neck. 85
British Romantic And some in dreams assuréd were
Literature II Of the Spirit that plagued us so;
Nine fathom deep he had followed us
From the land of mist and snow.
But the curse liveth for him in the eye of the dead men.
The cold sweat melted from their limbs,
Nor rot nor reek did they:
The look with which they look’d on me
Had never pass’d away.
An orphan’s curse would drag to hell
A spirit from on high;
But oh! more horrible than that
Is the curse in a dead man’s eye!
Seven days, seven nights, I saw that curse,
And yet I could not die.
In his loneliness and fixedness he yearneth towards the journeying Moon, and
the stars that still sojourn, yet still move onward; and everywhere the blue sky
belongs to them, and is their appointed rest and their native country and their
own natural homes, which they enter unannounced, as lords that are certainly
expected, and yet there is a silent joy at their arrival. By the light of the Moon
he beholdeth God’s creatures of the great calm.
The moving Moon went up the sky,
And nowhere did abide;
Softly she was going up,
And a star or two beside—
Her beams bemock’d the sultry main,
Like April hoar-frost spread;
But where the ship’s huge shadow lay,
The charméd water burnt alway
A still and awful red.
Beyond the shadow of the ship,
I watch’d the water-snakes:
They moved in tracks of shining white,
And when they rear’d, the elfish light
Fell off in hoary flakes.
Within the shadow of the ship
I watch’d their rich attire:
Blue, glossy green, and velvet black,
They coil’d and swam; and every track
Was a flash of golden fire.
Their beauty and their happiness.
O happy living things! no tongue
Their beauty might declare: 87
A spring of love gush’d from my heart,
British Romantic He blesseth them in his heart.
Literature II
And I bless’d them unaware:
Sure my kind saint took pity on me,
And I bless’d them unaware.
The spell begins to break.
The selfsame moment I could pray;
And from my neck so free
The Albatross fell off, and sank
Like lead into the sea.
2.6 INTERPRETATION
Lines
1-16 The poem begins abruptly with the opening line, “It is an ancient
Mariner” (line 1). This is a characteristic feature of a ballad where
no words are wasted by way of circuitous introduction to the story.
The reader is straightaway geared into the movement of the story.
“ancient” suggest that (i) the mariner is old and (ii) he belongs to a
distant past—a hoary antiquarian.
Thus the term “ancient” infuses a sense of awe and fear—both of
someone dreaded and yet strangely fascinating. The young wedding
guest is arrested by the presence of this ancient-looking mariner
though he desires to be away from him.
Coleridge builds on the term “ancient” with an unusual description
of the mariner that makes the word “ancient” collate with mariner.
His skinny hand, long, grey-beard and glittering eye give him a
ghostly appearance. He looks as though he has come from a far-off
world and his sudden arrival into the natural world of men who are
gathered at a wedding feast bring the two worlds together within
the range of credibility. His mesmeric hold on the wedding guest
suggests that if in some strange way the latter is compelled to stay
back and listen to the mariner’s story, the reader can also suspend
his disbelief and accept the narrative without raising questions
regarding the mariner’s narration.
5-8 We also note the contrast between the festive and joyous mood of
the wedding feast and the eerie atmosphere evoked by the mariner’s
appearance and his story. A gradual change comes over the young
guest as he is held back from the wedding feast by the mariner.
His querulous tone of anger in the opening quatrain followed by
his effort to extricate himself from the clutches of the mariner
gradually yield to a meek submission to the Mariner’s will and he
listens to him like a “three years’ child”.
9 “unhand”: a dramatic representation of action. The Mariner with
his skinny hand holds the young man but he drops it all of a sudden.
88 By this time the old man has cast his spell on him so that the young
wedding guest is rooted to the stone on which he sits held by the Samuel Taylor
mariner’s “glittering eyes” (13). Coleridge: ‘The
Rime Of The
21-24 The mariner’s story which began with “There was a ship” suddenly Ancient Mariner’:
Ballad Tradition &
moves with incredible speed to describe the start of the voyage
Summary
and conjures up a picture of a fast sailing ship. The movement
here is the movement from the world of reality to the world of the
narrative. By giving us pictures of the harbour and the kirk, the hill
and the lighthouse, Coleridge glides us through from the world of
the wedding to that of strange and eerie happenings. Do you notice
Coleridge’s close attention to details in these lines? The sequence
kirk-hill-lighthouse shows the order in which these landmarks on
shore disappear as the ship sails farther into the sea.
25.30 These illustrate the poet’s faithfulness to geographical details. The
fact that the sun rises on the right indicates that the ship is steering
towards the South. (compare line 83, part II). As the ship moves
towards the Equator, the sun becomes nearly overhead.
32-40 The story which had been proceeding on an even tone becomes
dramatic from now onwards and holds the listener’s interest by its
own power. The young man will no more interrupt the narration
except by way of exclamations of fear and horror. The wedding
revelry will have no effect on him as he is spellbound by the story
and it’s moral.
41-50 Description of the storm that drives the ship off-course towards the
South Polar Region. Can you recognise the sequence of powerful
imagery in these lines? The poet institutes four comparisons in
succession. The storm is personified and is described in terms of
a cruel and tyrannous being. The imagery shifts soon after and it
is compared to a powerful bird with strong wings pushing the ship
forward.
The ship moving with incredible speed by the force of the stormy
wind is also compared to a man fleeing the clutches of a vengeful
enemy who pursues him with shouts and blows. The ship driven
over the waves resembles the man bending forward to save himself
from blows. Coleridge attempts to evoke a picture of strange and
fearsome happening manipulated by an invisible demonic force.
47 The enemy is close behind him, so near that his shadow touches
him.
51-70 The events that now occur are narrated in a precise and matter of
fact way which gives the impression that they are taken from the
log- book (or diary) of a ship. This helps to convince the reader that
these events had actually happened and are therefore ‘real’. The
narration has moved into the supernatural world and yet all that
happens there has a semblance of reality.
This is a vivid description of the south Polar Regions. The intense
cold of this scene will he contrasted with the fiery heat of the next
89
British Romantic scene (in part 2) just as the terrible sounds of the clashing ice will
Literature II be contrasted with the fearful silence to follow in the next part. A
special feature of Coleridge’s description of natural objects is his
ability to make them appear both ‘real’ and ‘mysterious’ at the
same time. For example, the icebergs are beautiful but sinister:
their brightness is somehow gloomy and frightening. The ice is
‘green as emerald’ and it sends a ‘dismal sheen’. Identify the figure
of speech in this phrase. It is an oxymoron in which there is an
apparent contradiction in the words. The ship is surrounded and
dwarfed by the huge icebergs. As they hit against each other they
make a tearful sound like that of an unfriendly and hostile animal
that snarls and growls. Notice the use of onomatopoeia (the use of
words which create the sound which is being described) in “cracked”,
“growled”, “roared” “howled”. All these words convey the loud
unpleasant sound of icebergs cracking and banging together. These
lines also illustrate the use of repetition (a characteristic feature of
the ballad) to emphasise their being completely surrounded by ice.
(L. 59-60).
65-66 From the beginning the Albatross is described as though it was
a human being. In fact at certain points in the action it is even
associated with Christ who was killed by sinful men for no real
reason and was hung upon a cross (the albatross is killed with a
‘cross-bow’ and its dead body is hung ‘like a cross’ around the
Mariner’s neck). By making this association (it is called a ‘Christian
soul’) Coleridge is perhaps suggesting that the killing of the bird is
not a trivial act but as serious as breaking of the normal law as the
killing of a man would be.
71 The ship now begins to move northwards.
77-78 (Refer to 1154-56). Here again the description of the moonlight
shining through the white fog highlights its eerie aspect: natural
objects seem to act abnormally.
79-82 The expression of horror on the face of the Mariner deepens as
he approaches the part of narration relating to his criminal action.
This is noticed by the wedding-guest and his dramatic interruption
draws attention to the agony suffered by the mariner every time he
speaks of his guilt. The question of the wedding guest is followed
by a pause before the Mariner gives the answer. This indicates
his reluctance to mention the ghastly deed. The abrupt conclusion
of Part I also serves to focus attention on the dastardliness of his
action. It is interesting to note how each part in the poem ends with
an allusion to the albatross and the crime.
Part II
83-86 The ship continues its northward journey. ,
87-90 Compare II, 71-74 for the use of repetition with slight but significant
variations.
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91-96 Alhough the ship moves on steadily, the fog persists. The sailors Samuel Taylor
who miss the bird’s presence condemn the mariner for his evil deed Coleridge: ‘The
Rime Of The
and blame him for having killed the bird of good luck that had Ancient Mariner’:
made the favourable south-wind blow. Ballad Tradition &
Summary
Note that this stanza is of 6 lines. Coleridge occasionally varies the
length of his stanza (ref. Lines 45-50 & 97-102) to suit the needs of
his narrative. Here the lengthening of the stanza serves to emphasize
the importance of the incidents described—the inconsistent and
contradictory behaviour of the crew is thus highlighted.
97-102 When the fog finally ends and the sun rises bright and clear the
sailors justify the mariner’s action affirming that it was right to
have killed the bird that caused the foggy weather.
The inconsistent attitude of the shipmates is noteworthy. They
judge the action of the Mariner not by any sound or consistent
standard of right or wrong but simply by its effects on them. As the
commentary states they become accomplices in the crime.
97-98 draw attention to the magnificence of sunrise at sea by likening the
rising sun to the head of God himself.
103-106 A stanza famous for its alliteration. The repetition of the ‘f’ sound
conveys the swift, unhampered forward progress of the ship.
The entry into the silent sea (here the Pacific Ocean) is dramatically
sudden,
107-110 Contrast the rhythm of this stanza with that of the preceding one.
There is a distinct slowing down to convey a feeling of stagnation
and helplessness.
111-114 The sun which had earlier been welcome (contrast with II, 97-98)
now becomes an object of oppression. The sun is not “glorious” but
“bloody”. It is not like “God’s Own head”—mild, benevolent and
asource of energy, but appears severe, harsh, and an all-consuming
fire. The heat is dull, intense, and unrelieved.
The sun directly above the mast indicates that the ship is once again
at the Equator. Through the haze the sun appears small like the moon
and the scene is eerie, strange, and ghostly.
115 The repetition conveys the effect of endless monotony.
117-118 A very famous simile from English poetry. The comparison creates
a self-contained picture.
118-120 Here the commentary is important. The suffering of the mariners is
linked directly to the crime. Though the Ancient Mariner is guilty
of the actual killing, the others by applauding the action have
proved their complicity in the crime and are therefore condemned
to be punished. Initially, their torment takes the form of heat, thirst
and complete inaction.
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British Romantic 123 An exclamation to express the intensity of the horror.
Literature II
125-126 The description of the sea creatures is deliberately ugly to emphasise
the Mariner’s revulsion for these lowly creatures. The repetition of
the word ‘slimy’ along with a grotesque description of crawling
with slimy legs creates a sense of the hideousness of the sight.
127-130 The scene at night, though bright and colourful is ugly and ominous.
Mysterious lights whirl about as in a dance and the stagnant water
glistens like oil.
131-134 The Spirit of the South Pole (and therefore guardian of that region)
has come to avenge the death of the albatross. It hovers near the ship
and appears in the sailors’ dreams. They are told in their dreams
that their suffering is a punishment for the crime.
139-142 The sailors are unable to speak because of their parched tongues.
The shipmates reproach the mariner with accusing looks. They hold
the Mariner guilty and responsible for their misery and express
their anger by hanging the dead bird around his neck as a visible
sign of his guilt.
Part IV
145-150 Part IV opens with an interruption by the wedding guest. He fears
that the Mariner who seems to have appeared from the dead is
perhaps a ghost rather than a living man. He is, however, reassured
by the Mariner that he had not died and that his penance has been
prolonged.
Notice how the three physical characteristics of the Mariner
mentioned at the beginning of the poem are repeated here.
153-155 express the terror of the wedding guest. The full horror of the ghastly
appearance of the Mariner is brought out by the repetition.
156-182 traces the torture suffered by the mariner. His mental state is one
of reproach: he envies the living things around him and seems to
envy even the lot of the dead crew. There is, as of yet, no indication
of repentance and his reaction towards the sea-creatures is one of
revulsion. (The words ‘slimy’ and ‘rotting’ are echoes of the earlier
lines 123 & 125 to remind us that there has been no change in his
attitude. In fact, he not only hates the sea-creatures but there is even
a note of despair in line 160 where he speaks of his own life as an
intolerable burden.)
Mariner finds neither rest not peace and everything that he sees
around him merely intensifies his sense of isolation from all living
things. He is even alienated from God: as part of his punishment, he
has lost the capacity to pray and can therefore find no comfort from
heavenly grace.
Coleridge has effectively conveyed the restlessness of the Mariner
who craves for relief but finds none. Can you suggest the effect
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of the many repetitions in these lines? These have the effect of Samuel Taylor
conveying the unending and prolonged monotony of his situation Coleridge: ‘The
Rime Of The
with no possibility of relief. (Look, for example at line 171 which Ancient Mariner’:
illustrates this well.) Also note how effectively Coleridge has Ballad Tradition &
suggested that the suffering of the mariner is both physical and Summary
psychological; the thirst, the heat and the throbbing head and eyes
are accompanied by a lack of mental peace. He is acutely aware of
his loneliness, his guilt, the reproach of his dead mates and above
all, his alienation from God, man and all living things.
176-182 shows how deeply oppressed he is by the cursing and accusing
looks in the dead man’s eyes. He wishes only for death but even
this is denied to him. (Can you suggest why this is so? He has been
won not by Death, but by Life in Death. Besides, his punishment
is to be a prolonged one. Unlike his shipmates, he alone has been
singled out for possible redemption.)
184-205 Passages describing the Mariner’s agony are interspersed with
beautiful pictures of nature. This is a particularly elaborate passage.
Why do you think this is so?
It is a prelude to a crucial event in the story and helps to prepare us
for it. You may have observed that in the story, the Mariner is quite
passive: he undergoes many experiences but he performs only two
important actions. One is the irrational act of killing the bird. The
other which is described here is that of admiring the beauty of all
living things, feeling a spontaneous love for them and experiencing
a sense of harmony with all creation. From this moment onwards
the Mariner’s penitence and redemption (forgiveness) begin. He
no longer feels isolated, he is once again able to pray and feel
positive emotions and nature too ceases to be hostile. Instead of
the relentless heat and dull monotony, he now feels the soothing
influence of the cool moonlight and sees the varied colours of the
objects and creatures around him.
186-192 In his total isolation, he watches the moving moon accompanied by
a few stars and the appearance of the moonlight on the water. There
is a sharp contrast between the cold white light of the moon and the
angry redness of the warm sea.
193-205 These lines are meant to convey the lesson of the healing power of
Nature.
He observes the water snakes and is fascinated by their beauty
especially by the unusual and almost magical transformation that they
undergo in the moonlight. He now no longer finds them repulsive.
This is a passage of great beauty emphasising the rich colours of
the water creatures. This is also closely related to the theme of the
poem. This appreciation of the beauty of the sea creatures marks the
beginning of the Mariner’s repentance. (Incidentally, the passage is
based on the actual appearance of water-snakes observed in the islands
of the Pacific Ocean.) 93
British Romantic Coleridge stresses upon both the beauty and the joy of nature’s
Literature II creatures.
205-209 Again the image of positive emotions as a reviving spring of fresh
water (ref. 205). With the help of these gentle and loving thoughts
the curse begins to pass off and he is once again able to pray. This
is an indication of grace and forgiveness.
210-212 This section (like the previous one) ends dramatically. The
albatross is mentioned briefly and focuses attention upon the centre
of dramatic interest and the incident to which the whole section has
been leading up. The last two lines are in fact the dramatic centre
of the whole poem. It is from these that the ‘moral’ of the poem
emerges in II, 614-616 in part VII:
He prayeth best, who loveth best All things both great and small;
For the dear God who loveth us, He made and loveth all.
The Mariner’s spontaneous love for nature’s creatures brings an end to the first
phase of his punishment. The fact that the external sign of his crime and guilt,
the dead albatross, now falls off his neck and sinks into the sea is an indication
of this. Coleridge here indicates the link between the Mariner’s positive reaction
and the beginning of redemption.
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British Romantic
Literature II 2.9 LET US SUM UP
In this Unit you have:
• Learnt about the features of ballad poetry;
• Have studied Coleridge’s use of these devices
• And analysed in detail and understood an extract from The Rime of the
Ancient Mariner.
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