In The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, the Mariner’s curse is a punishment. It is a consequence of him committing a senseless sin. The sin he committed was killing an albatross that guided his crew out of a storm and acted as a symbol of hope. He did this for no apparent reason, making it an especially reprehensible act. He is then forced to live with the guilt of surviving while his entire crew was killed. The albatross is hung around his neck as a constant reminder of his wrongdoings. Furthermore, he must retell the story over and over, exacerbating his guilt and forcing him to relive the incident constantly. Although he has learned a significant moral lesson from his curse, he is living a fate almost worse than death. The degree of mental torture he is experiencing is a harsh reprimand for one irrational act. Immediately after his senseless act, the Mariner begins to suffer. He wishes that he could have died with his fellow sailors and expresses that grief: “The cold sweat melted from their limbs, Nor rot nor reek did they: The look with which they looked on me Had never …show more content…
He lost much of his innocence, which he can never retrieve. The experience of seeing his friends die so horrifically and being forced to survive them has undoubtedly changed him forever. There is no going back to who you were before once something that traumatic occurs, especially when you are forced to relive it like him. Romanticism is strong throughout The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, and the Mariner is an apt example of a romantic character. Romantic works are filled with exploring the connection between people and nature. The Mariner is forced to think introspectively because of his circumstances. This introspection leads to a change in his view towards the spiritual world and nature. He also gives human qualities to natural elements throughout the poem, such as: “And now the storm-blast came, and