The supernatural elements actually appear with the <i>albatross</i>, which has arrived in order to help guide the Mariner's ship through a fog bank. When the Ancient Mariner kills the albatross, he has not only violated concepts of gratitude and hospitality, he has, on a whim, killed a living being that has come to same him and his ship. I believe we are meant to see the albatross, in part, in a Christian context--like Christ, who came to earth to save us, the albatross arrives to save the mariners and their ship, and the reward for this generosity is his execution.
Nature itself becomes relentlessly supernatural after the killing of the albatross: the wind stops, temperatures climb, drinking water runs out. These are not merely problems for a ship at sea; they are all life-threatening. The crew, sensing its own complicity in the Mariner's action, decide to hang the albatross around his neck, an allusion to the concept of the Judeo-Christian scapegoat, who wears an amulet representing the sins of the people and is sent into the desert to die for everyone's sins.
As we know, several horrific supernatural elements seal the fate of the ship and crew--slimy snakes from the bottom of the ocean come to the ship; a ghost-ship, with the figures of Death and Death-in-Life, arrives and the entire crew dies (Death) but the Mariner remains alive (Death-in-Life).
The Mariner's salvation comes when he, unconsciously and full of pity, blesses the slimy sea snakes, and the albatross falls from his neck, an indication that Nature and/or God has forgiven his original sin of killing the albatross. His penance, however, is not complete, for he has to keep telling his story, first to the hermit on the pilot boat and then to the Wedding Guest. It's only after the repeated telling of this awful tale that the Ancient Mariner achieves some peace. Unfortunately, the Wedding Guest is negatively affected by the tale, avoids the wedding, and wakes up the next day "a sadder and wiser man."
There is a variety of supernatural elements or parts that are suggestive of supernatural factors throughout the poem. The ancient mariner is narrating the journey he had on the boat, and there are ups and downs throughout his trip. Such ups and downs are effectively emphasized by the narrator’s portraying them in supernatural manner or incorporating magical elements while describing them.
The first supernatural moment I encountered in the narrative is the part where the old mariner talks to the stranger in the wedding. The stranger at first seems quite hesitant to listen to the mariner’s story and even tells the mariner to go away as it is portrayed in the poem “Hold off! unhand me, grey-beard loon!’. Yet, as the mariner keeps staring at the stranger with the somehow captivating “glittering eyes”, the stranger stands still and starts listening to him as though he were spellbound by the mariner’s magic. It is described in the poem as “The Wedding-Guest stood still, and listens like a three years’ child.” A cause that drove the stranger to make such a dramatic change in mind in just a second is seen as supernatural to the reader. This magical moment is significant in a way that it gives the reader a sense that there is something special and captivating about the mariner. He is just introduced in a poem, and the majority of the rather inattentive readers might simply dismiss the mariner as a uninvited guest who ruins the mood of the wedding. Yet, his persuading the stranger to listen to him shows there is something worthy of listening to the ancient mariner’s story. Another effect this supernatural moment brings about is helping the readers to focus on what the mariner is about to say. It gives mariner an authority as a narrator of the poem.
Diya Joseph.... 7 years, 1 month ago
The supernatural elements actually appear with the <i>albatross</i>, which has arrived in order to help guide the Mariner's ship through a fog bank. When the Ancient Mariner kills the albatross, he has not only violated concepts of gratitude and hospitality, he has, on a whim, killed a living being that has come to same him and his ship. I believe we are meant to see the albatross, in part, in a Christian context--like Christ, who came to earth to save us, the albatross arrives to save the mariners and their ship, and the reward for this generosity is his execution.
Nature itself becomes relentlessly supernatural after the killing of the albatross: the wind stops, temperatures climb, drinking water runs out. These are not merely problems for a ship at sea; they are all life-threatening. The crew, sensing its own complicity in the Mariner's action, decide to hang the albatross around his neck, an allusion to the concept of the Judeo-Christian scapegoat, who wears an amulet representing the sins of the people and is sent into the desert to die for everyone's sins.
As we know, several horrific supernatural elements seal the fate of the ship and crew--slimy snakes from the bottom of the ocean come to the ship; a ghost-ship, with the figures of Death and Death-in-Life, arrives and the entire crew dies (Death) but the Mariner remains alive (Death-in-Life).
The Mariner's salvation comes when he, unconsciously and full of pity, blesses the slimy sea snakes, and the albatross falls from his neck, an indication that Nature and/or God has forgiven his original sin of killing the albatross. His penance, however, is not complete, for he has to keep telling his story, first to the hermit on the pilot boat and then to the Wedding Guest. It's only after the repeated telling of this awful tale that the Ancient Mariner achieves some peace. Unfortunately, the Wedding Guest is negatively affected by the tale, avoids the wedding, and wakes up the next day "a sadder and wiser man."
There is a variety of supernatural elements or parts that are suggestive of supernatural factors throughout the poem. The ancient mariner is narrating the journey he had on the boat, and there are ups and downs throughout his trip. Such ups and downs are effectively emphasized by the narrator’s portraying them in supernatural manner or incorporating magical elements while describing them.
The first supernatural moment I encountered in the narrative is the part where the old mariner talks to the stranger in the wedding. The stranger at first seems quite hesitant to listen to the mariner’s story and even tells the mariner to go away as it is portrayed in the poem “Hold off! unhand me, grey-beard loon!’. Yet, as the mariner keeps staring at the stranger with the somehow captivating “glittering eyes”, the stranger stands still and starts listening to him as though he were spellbound by the mariner’s magic. It is described in the poem as “The Wedding-Guest stood still, and listens like a three years’ child.” A cause that drove the stranger to make such a dramatic change in mind in just a second is seen as supernatural to the reader. This magical moment is significant in a way that it gives the reader a sense that there is something special and captivating about the mariner. He is just introduced in a poem, and the majority of the rather inattentive readers might simply dismiss the mariner as a uninvited guest who ruins the mood of the wedding. Yet, his persuading the stranger to listen to him shows there is something worthy of listening to the ancient mariner’s story. Another effect this supernatural moment brings about is helping the readers to focus on what the mariner is about to say. It gives mariner an authority as a narrator of the poem.
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