In the first phase, the Mariner is led through fear (the skeleton ship)to an apprehension of beauty (the beauty of the water snakes) in the secondphase, he is educated through fear again, through the mounting horror ofthe sublime(the dead men all rise up and man the ghost ship). Compare Eve's implicationof Adam in the Fall, and the implication of all humankind in the Fall ofthese first "parents". If the first aspect to be expiated is the Mariner's crime against nature,against innocence (the killing of the Albatross), perhaps the second aspectis his sin against humanity, his implication of the other mariners in hisguilt: first, guilt by association (they were present at the scene of thecrime and therefore also suffer its consequences) and guilt by influence(although they first see the killing of the Albatross as an offence againsta good spirit, they then justify the killing in their minds as the destructionof evil or malevolent forces-see lines 91-102). ![]() Since the Albatross falls from the Mariner's neck, we might expect hissin to have been absolved. In honouring one ofthe lowliest forms of creation, he has restored his connection to natureand placed himself again in relation to the world outside himself. He blesses thewater snakes and the Albatross falls from his neck. 125-6) butthat now appear in their glossy colours to be beautiful. And then he see creaturesthat had previously seemed to him part of the ugly horror (ll. Nothing else seems to exist in the universe. Later on,he implies the experience was one of existential alienation: The Ancient Mariner, cursed by the look in the eyes of the dead, isnow totally "Alone, alone, all, all alone" (l. ![]() 194).Life-in-Death wins the game, and the sailors drop down dead. Life-in Death is the femme fatalein horrific guise: she "thicks man's blood with cold" (l. The skeleton ship appears, manned by two figures, Death and Life-in-Death,casting dice for the lives of the sailors. (Note how expiation begins with lossof speech and ends with the compulsion to speak.) The Mariner, when hesees a speck on the horizon, bites his own arm and sucks his own blood,in order to moisten his mouth enough to call out. The first phase of expiation begins with heat and aridity: the shipis becalmed there is no water to drink mouths are so dry that the sailorshave not enough saliva even to speak. There is no explanation of the Mariner's motive for killing the Albatross.What explains sin? What explains our separation from the good and fromGod's creation? The First Phase of Expiation: ![]() And since the Albatross is hailed "As if it hadbeen a Christian soul" and the Mariner then kills it with his "crossbow,"we associate his crime with the crucifixion of Christ: In killing the Albatross, the Mariner commits a crime against creation,destroys a good omen, and alienates himself from the other sailors, perhapsfrom the universe. Another compelling aspect ofthe poem is the relation between the Ancient Mariner and the Wedding Guest.Why does the Mariner have to tell his tale, why does he choose the WeddingGuest to hear his tale, what is the significance of the knowledge thatis passed on through the Mariner's narrative, what is the powerful bondbetween listener and hearer? The Crime: The poem can be approached as a dream voyage to another realm, as astory of sin and expiation, or as the quintessential representation ofthe alienated, isolated modern individual. While meanings can be suggested, part of the appeal of the poemis that it can never be totally and fully explained. And, like many of the early ballads, thenarrative evokes the supernatural, drawing the reader into its hauntingsymbolism. ![]() This poem, published in Lyrical Ballads, has the simple appealof a ballad in rhyme and metre. Instructor: Melba Cuddy-Keane "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" ENGB02Y: English Literature: Historical Survey (SpringTerm)
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