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Spirit In The Rime Of The Ancient Mariner

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Throughout the poem “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”, the Mariner has troubles with the supernatural due to being cursed by killing the beloved Albatross. His lack of respect to the bird and to indirectly God led to the shortcomings on the voyage. The Mariner learns that he must have respect for “all things both great and small” (616) created by God, as his lack of led to his demise. The Albatross was shown as a good omen to the crew, blessing their trip with good winds and was even said to have “a Christian soul” (65). However, once the Mariner shot the bird , his crew turned on him and were extremely angry. His actions, whatever the reason, were rash and was not in the best interest for anyone on the ship. He did not respect the hospitality …show more content…

Spirits begin to take control of the dead crews’ bodies and man the ship. Then another lonely Spirit takes control of the bottom of the ship and moves it at an extraordinary speed. The speed is too much for the mariner and he passes out. While sleeping, two spirits having a conversation reveal that the Spirit moving the ship so fast is actually seeking vengeance because “the Spirit… loved the bird” (403-405) that the mariner shot. One of the spirits talking says that the mariner “hath penance done, and penance more will do.” In other words the spirit knows that the mariner has felt some remorse for his actions, but believes more self-punishment is needed. He does not feel as if the mariner has repented enough for his action, he sees that the mariner does not have as much respect for the Albatross and the supernatural creature he has hurt. The mariner wakes up to a calmer sea and notices his homeland on the horizon. He was so delighted that he was unsure of the reality of his sight. The mariner prays to “let me be awake, my god! Or let me sleep alway” (471-472). His intense grief is shown through his prayers to rather be dead than to hallucinate. However, when the Hermit comes to “rescue” him, the mariner believes “he’ll wash away the Albatross’s blood” (513-514). The mariner thinks that the grief by his action can be dismissed so easily, and yet again shows his lack of remorse for killing the loved

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