Philosophical
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner aligns strongly with the Philosophical mindset of the Romantics. It is allegorical, intending to warn those who assign themselves to blind reason. The purpose of the mariner’s journey to the arctic is not revealed, although it is likely to be the discovery of new lands given the prominence of colonialism. This symbolises the ceaseless pursuit of reason under Enlightenment ideals. Coleridge is critical of this, as is represented by the senseless murder of the Albatross, “a Christian soul.” Its death invokes an understanding of the senseless destruction of nature through the industrial mentality. In revenge for this cruelty, the Mariner and his crew are pursued “from the land of mist and snow” by a spirit and the Mariner is ultimately left alone under the scrutiny of “the star-dogged Moon.” This alignment of natural and supernatural forces highlights the sense of spirituality that the Romantics derived from nature. The dream-like imagery also conveys a sense of the Romantic veneration of the power of imagination, an idealist view advocated by Immanuel Kant. Only when the Mariner repents does the curse break with a downpour of rain. This symbolises the Mariner’s humility towards nature in the wake of his ordeal- a lesson he is compelled to spread to those advocating blind reason. Thus, Coleridge’s allegory for the importance of loving “both man and bird and beast” and the dangers of rationalistic thinking aligns with Romantic philosophy.
Scientific
‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’ focuses on an idealistic
image of ‘a greater and better world’ where the desired utopian dominance and
relation between man and nature prevails. The novel-like piece follows the
recount of a sailor who interrupts a gentleman on his way to a wedding to tell
the harrowing tale of his unearthly voyage. Coleridge constantly switches between
third and first person narrative to emphasise the discontent that is portrayed
by the interrupted wedding guest. ‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’
subjectively represses the scientific progress that was emerging during the
Romantic Era where scientists suggested the world ran like clockwork,
mechanical in every form. This interpretation stems heavily from the work of
Sir Isaac Newton who published his series of scientific laws that identified
the relationships between force and acceleration. Coleridge, In part III is
pushing to resurface the ideals of spirituality and rhythmically confesses
‘Four time fifty living men... With heavy thump, a lifeless lump,/ They dropped
down one by one.’ Here the guest grows fearful and anxious, yearning to make
sense of the sailor’s predicament. The following image created in ‘I fear thee,
ancient Mariner!/I fear thy skinny hand!’ develops the eerie tone of the poem
and sees the guest begin to question the sincerity behind the Mariner’s claims.
The Mariner continues to depict an apparent curse he has been ridden with as he
uses hyperbole and grotesque imagery to recount ‘And a thousand thousand slimy
things/ Lived on; and so did I.’ Conclusively, Coleridge is recognizing the
growing separation between the individual and spirituality and is persistent
across a collection of his works in reinforcing his belief that spirituality
and individuality are key in creating his desire utopian world. Simultaneously,
signs of repression and vulnerability surfaced in rebut to the scientific
progressions and revelations of the 18th and 19th century
which saw the emerging of despair and questioning of authenticity amongst the
Romantics.
Economic
Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s poem Rime of the Ancient Mariner represents a significant dissatisfaction with the economic restructuring of his time and as such, largely a disassociation with this paradigm. Coleridge uses this poem to illustrate the dangers of economical progress and the favoring of expansion over the natural world. The Romantics privileged a connection to the natural, and thus a connection to economics was not fundamentally valued. Rousseau’s concept of the ‘noble savage’ became tremendously noteworthy as it values living in a pure state of nature as opposed to the industrial world the Coleridge knows so well. Romantics believed that nature offered a refuge from the artificial constructs of economic civilization. Civilization and economy was considered too rational, and too mechanical, and instead nature offered a more organic, passionate and imaginative method of being such as the “albatross” symbolism. The albatross symbolizes the desire to be free of the corrupting influences of the Industrial Revolution. Thus disassociation to the economic class structuring of society was greatly encouraged. It is evident in Coleridge’s poem Rime of the Ancient Mariner, as the narrator has come to be distanced from society, and warns of the disconnection to the natural world, “who loveth well/Both man and bird and beast” demonstrates Coleridge and his stance on economic value above the natural world. Coleridge therefore fought against the radically changing economic structure of Industrialization as it went against the core values of Romanticism.
Religious
Although Christian and pagan themes are confounded at times in "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner", it is difficult to ignore the underlying religious themes in part 7 of Coleridge’s poem. The Ancient Mariner essentially preaches closeness to God through prayer and the willingness to show respect to all of God's creatures. He also says that he finds no greater joy than in joining others in prayer: "To walk together to the kirk, / And all together pray, / While each to his great Father bends, / Old men, and babes, and loving friends, / And youths and maidens gay!" The Ancient Mariner's shooting of the Albatross can be compared to several -Christian stories of betrayal, including the original sin of Adam and Eve, and Cain's betrayal of Abel. Like his fellow Romantic poet, Dickinson, Coleridge has made explicit reference to the “original sin” and has considered the consequences of a rejection of faith. Like Adam and Eve, the Ancient Mariner fails to respect God's rules and is tempted to try to understand things that should remain out of his reach. Like Cain, the Ancient Mariner angers God by killing another creature. Most obviously, the Ancient Mariner can be seen as the archetypal Judas or the universal sinner who betrays God / Christ by sinning. At the time of the Romantic Era, society aggressively suggested that an individual would live in the “divines way”, or no way at all. Here Coleridge tests the result of opposing the “divine way”.The Albatross in the poem can be seen as a symbol of Christ, since it is the "rime" spirit's favourite creature, and the Ancient Mariner pays dearly for killing it. The Albatross is even hung around the Ancient Mariner's neck to mark him for his sin.