Biblical Symbolism In Rime of the Ancient Mariner :: Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Samuel Taylor Coleridges poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, written in 1797, has been widely discussed throughout literary history. Although critics read come up with many different interpretations of this poem, one idea that has remained prevalent throughout these discussions is the apparent spectral symbol present throughout this poem. The Ancient Mariner contains natural, gothic, and biblical symbolism however, the religious and natural symbolism, which coincide with one another, play the most important roles in this poem (Piper 43). It is apocalyptic and natural symbolism that dominates the core of this poem (43). The biblical symbolism found in this poem mainly reflects the apocalypse, as it deals with the Mariners revelation that good will triumph over evil, andhis acceptance of all nature as Gods creation. It is unfeasible to believe that Coleridge was not thinking of the mysterious wind that blows on the Mariner, without any awareness of the wind as a Biblical symbol of the Holy Spirit. Coleridge could as well as not associate the murder of the albatross with the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The reader is told that the Polar Spirit loved the bird that loved the man who shot him with his bow. It is enigmatical that someone with Coleridges Christian background and faith could fail to see here an analogy with God who loved his son who loved the men that killed him. Another practice session of symbolism is the fact that the albatross is hung around the Mariners neck like a crucifix. Event the cross in cross-bow hints at the murder of Jesus, which logically paces the albatross as a symbol for Christ. It is thought that Coleridge deliberately created these symbols and images with Christian meaning in mind. The apocalypse is heavily reflected upon throughout this poem as Coleridge combined the vivid colors, the ocean, and the closing fires of The Ancient Mariner with the terror and desolation of the days of wrath in the apocalypse. The section of t he poem after the Mariner kills the mollymawk is a description of the vacuity and desolation that the Mariners experience, and the curse that is over the ship. This section of the poem has tremendous correspondence to the apocalyptic story. The language and form in this part of the poem represent the images and words, which have traditionally described the wrath of God and the guilt of man in Christian terms. Its is at this point in the poem that the Mariner feels guilty for having killed the Albatross and for the deaths of his shipmates.