RIME OF THE ANCIENT
MARINER
By
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Parts 1-3: Question #1
 What is the effect of the contrast
between the Mariner’s appearance and
the wedding feast that is described in
lines 7-8?
ANSWER
 The contrast makes the sailor seem
even more out of place.
 It also increases the tension of the
poem.
Question #2
 How do the two characters compare in
lines 9-16?
ANSWER
 Mariner:
 much older and stronger of will
 Wedding Guest:
 is easily swayed and conventional
Question #3
 What does the imagery of lines 22-24
describe?
ANSWER
 The ship’s departure.
 The ship seems to “drop” below the
structures because of the curvature of the
earth’s surface.
Question #4
 In what direction does the information
in lines 25-28 tell you the ship is
traveling?
ANSWER
 South;
 The sun rises in the east, which is on the
ship’s left side.
Question #5
 What is the effect of the interruption
and return to the wedding feast scene
in lines 31-36?
ANSWER
 The interruption creates Suspense.
 The joy of the celebration contrasts with
the somber tone of the Mariner’s tale.
Question #6
 Why do you think the basic stanza form
changes in lines 45-50?
ANSWER
 The extra lines prolong the suspense of
the ship’s flight before the storm.
Further Notation
 At the time Coleridge wrote this poem, sailors
were still subjected to barely edible food,
exhausting labor, pitiful living conditions, and
countless dangers.
 Among the dangers were disease and
shipwreck, but oterh dangers were support
for tales of the supernatural.
 The threat of cannibalism, though
exaggerated, was real--if not from the natives
of exotic lands then from one’s shipmates if
the ship wrecked or ran out of food.
 Coleridge had never been to sea when the
poem was written.
Question #7
 Why do you think the Mariner shoots
the Albatross?
ANSWER
 He is annoyed by the bird’s presence.
 The “fiends” cause him to do it
 OR…his lack of motive adds to the
mystery of the poem.
Part 2
 The ship has probably rounded Cape
Horn, the southern part of South
America and is likely headed north.
Question #8
 Why does the shipmates opinion of the
Mariner change in lines 93-102?
ANSWER
 They see the bird’s death as the cause
of the calm, so they are mad the
Mariner has killed the bird.
 During the fog, they are glad the
Mariner killed the albatross because
they think the bird caused the mist.
Question #9
 What mood is created in lines 123-130?
ANSWER
 The mood of the poem turns even more
FANTASTICAL
The Mariner seems to hallucinate “slimythings” and “death-fires”.
Question #10
 What illusion of movement is created by
the imagery in lines 149-152?
ANSWER
 The growing size of the spotted object
indicates it is moving TOWARD the ship.
Question #11
 What might the shape’s position in lines
175-176 foreshadow?
ANSWER
 The shape’s eclipse of the sun suggests
that it will bring the sailor’s “doom”
 The eclipse could be a bad omen…
telling of the future of what may
happen to the crew.
Question #12
 What do you think the woman’s words
and actions in lines 197-198 indicate
will happen to the Mariner?
ANSWER
 They suggest that the Mariner is spared
death, but will endure “Life-in-Death”.
Parts 4-7
 After a brief return to the Wedding
Guest speaking, the Mariner returns to
his tale.
Question #1
 Do the Wedding Guest’s suspicions in
lines 224-231 seem reasonable?
ANSWER
 After such a tale, the idea that the
Mariner is a GHOST is not far-fetched.
Question #2
 What is the effect of the alliteration and
assonance in the repeated words in
lines 232-233?
ANSWER
 DESOLATION; Loneliness
Both of these ideas are underscored by the
Mariner’s words.
Question #3
 Why is the stare of the dead men in
lines 260-262 a curse on the Mariner?
ANSWER
 He feels responsible for their deaths
because he killed the albatross;
 Also, he is the only one who did not die.
Question #4
 How does the mood of the poem
change with the rising of the moon in
lines 263-271?
ANSWER
 Moonrise=Calmness, Healing Quality
This contrasts with the
“bloody sun”
Question #5
 Lines 282-291
These lines mark a turning point in
the narrative. What action does the
Mariner take that begins his “rebirth”?
ANSWER
 He shows love toward the water snakes
and blesses them
Shows an appreciation for all of
God’s creatures…
Question #6
 What is the effect of the simile in lines
324-326?
ANSWER
 Simile unites the image of the waterfall
with the sight of lightning, producing an
especially vivid picture of a violent
storm.
MORE NOTATION
 Wordsworth claimed credit for the idea
of having a ship manned by dead
sailors
 Tales of ships with dead crews were
common at this time among sailors
QUESTION #7
 In line 345
The Wedding Guest interrupts the
tale again. How does the Mariner
console him?
ANSWER
 By explaining that the bodies were
animated by angelic spirits.
Question #8
 To whom does the Mariner allude in line
399?
ANSWER
 Reference is to Christ
Question #9
 What do you think is meant by the
second voice’s comment in lines 408409?
ANSWER
 The Mariner will undergo further trials
in the poem.
Question #10
 Whose voices begin part 6?
 Why is this change of speaker
necessary?
ANSWER
 The voices are not those of the two
spirits that spoke in lines 398-409.
 They are describing the ship’s progress
while the Mariner lies in his ‘swound’.
Question #11
 How are the moon and ocean
personified in lines 414-421?
ANSWER
 The ocean looks to the moon for
guidance--perhaps a reference to the
relationship of moon and tide, as the
sea is personified as slave to the moon.
QUESTION #12
 How does the Mariner’s interpretation of
his journey make you feel about his
experience?
ANSWER
 It helps the readers understand the
eerie feeling the Mariner describes;
The comparison adds to the suspense
of the poem.
Question #13
 What is the effect of the alliteration and
assonance in lines 460-463?
ANSWER
 The devices suggest the swiftness and
gentleness of the ship’s passage;
 The hissing of the s sounds may also
suggest the blowing of the wind.
Question #14
 How do the welcome sights in lines
464-467 compare to the Mariner’s
departure in lines 23-24?
ANSWER
 The landmarks are mentioned in
reverse order, because the ship is
“climbing” instead of “dropping”.
Question #15
 How is the possibly gruesome sight of
corpses and angels in lines 490-495
made into a positive, beautiful picture?
ANSWER
 The scene is described with repeated
references to light and with words such
as lovely and heavenly;
 The gesture of the angels, too, is a
gentle wave.
Question #16
 What is the Mariner’s hope in lines 512513?
ANSWER
 He hopes that the Hermit can, like a
holy man, absolve him of the crime of
shooting the albatross.
Question #17
 What is the result in lines 538-541 of
the characters rushing to see what the
reader already knows?
ANSWER
 The result is Dramatic Irony
The reader expects them to react in
horror as soon as they arrive at the ship
Question #18
 Describe the personalities of the Pilot
and the Hermit based on their reactions
to the Mariner in lines 560-569.
ANSWER
 Pilot: faints, suggesting he is easily
frightened and perhaps superstitious.
 Hermit: prays, showing strength of his
faith
 Boy: crazy laughter and comment,
hint at his ironic wit
Question #19
 What is the Mariner’s climatic discovery
in line 581?
ANSWER
 He realizes that telling the tale brings
him some internal peace.
Question #20
 Do the Mariner’s comments in lines 584585 explain why he has forced the
Wedding Guest to hear his story?
ANSWER
 The Mariner’s “agony” has probably
returned, so to rid himself of his pain,
he has to tell his story, and by chance
he meets the Wedding Guest.