Christian and Biblical References Hidden Within the Rime of the Ancient Mariner Essay

Christian and biblical references have been involved in the craft of writing since the birth of religion or at earliest, the base of the Bible. Biblical Symbolism in numbers of the Ancient mariner Samuel Taylor Coleridges rime, which was written in 1797, has been widely discussed throughout literary history. Although critics have come up with some(prenominal) different interpretations of this poem, one idea that has remained prevalent throughout these discussions is the apparent religious symbolic representation present throughout this poem.The Ancient diddly-shit contains natural, and biblical symbolism however, the religious and natural symbolisms, which coincide with one an some other, play the most important roles in this poem. Apocalyptic and natural symbolism dominates the core of this poem. The biblical symbolism show in this poem mainly reflects the apocalypse, as it deals with the Mariners revelation that good will triumph over evil, and his acceptance of all nature as Gods creation.Beginning with the main issues surrounding The Rime of the Ancient Mariner it is impossible 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 also associate the murder of the albatross with the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The ratifier is t of age(predicate) that the Polar Spirit have a go at itd the bird that loved the man / Who shot him with his bow (Line 404). Signifying a strong tie/bond between the two.This bond not solitary(prenominal) relates to the love between the man and the bird, but rather, the connection between an individual and religion. It is doubtful that someone with Coleridges Christian background and faith could analyze to see an analogy with God who loved his son who loved the men that killed him. Trying to come on down the stairsstand the symbolism tied into this poem, it is important to take other partit ions of the piece into account.Another example of symbolism is the f execute that the albatross is hung around the Mariners neck like a crucifix. Ah Well-a-day What Evil Looks / Had I from old and young / Instead of the cross, the albatross / About my neck was hung (Line 139). As Coleridge writes, the image of the Albatross slung around the neck of the Mariner symbolizes the crucifixion of Christ. The crucifixion of Christ has been discussed for centuries this Biblical reference of this image is immense. Through the use of words, Coleridge is able to portray a sense of darkness and a loss of apprehend, comparable to loss of hope when our deliverer Jesus Christ was nailed to the cross.Looking deeper into the mind of Coleridge and further analyzing his work, another abstract approach to viewing the demolition of spiritual and/or Biblical reference roll in the hay be seen by dissecting the text. The cross in cross-bow hints at the murder of Jesus, which logically places the albatros s as a symbol for Christ. Since the publication of Coleridges piece The Rime of the Ancient Mariner It is thought by many literary experts that Coleridge deliberately created these symbols and images with Christian meaning in mind but if true, why?In tack for Coleridge to encapsulate the readers full attention and challenge their knowledge these truly hidden symbolisms and literary techniques are needed. Coleridge further attempts to navigate his readers though this work by utilise references and wording that individuals can connect with. The apocalypse is heavily reflected upon throughout this poem as Coleridge combined the vivid colors, the ocean, and the death fires of The Ancient Mariner with the terror and desolation of the days of wrath in order to symbolize the true apocalypse.Down dropt the breeze, the sails dropt down, / Twas sad as sad could be / And we did speak only break / The Silence of the sea / All in a hot and copper thrash about, / The bloody Sun, at noon, / Rig ht above the mast did stand, / No bigger than the moon. / daytime after day, day after day, / We stuck, not breath nor motion / As idle as a painted move / Upon a painted ocean. (Lines 107). The section of the poem after the Mariner kills the Albatross is a description of the emptiness and desolation that the Mariners experience, and the loathing that is over the ship.This section of the poem has tremendous correspondence to the prophetic story. The language and form in this part of the poem represents the images and words, which have traditionally described the wrath of God and the guilt of man in Christian terms. move through the poem one stanza reads, The souls did from their bodies fly / They fled to bliss or woe / And every soul, it passd me by / Like the whizz of my crossbow (Line 220). It is at this take aim in the poem that the Mariner feels the guilt for having killed the Albatross and the deaths of his shipmates.As the Mariner begins to realize the repercussions o f his consummations he begins to transform. At this point in time the Mariner is head start to touch the hands of God he is beginning to see the beauty in all of Gods creatures and the significance of life. Preceding this realization the Mariner begins his transformation as stated above he understands the curse of the Albatross and the reasons for the death of his crew.His actions haunt him and death appears the only way out. An orphans curse would drag to hell / A spirit from on high / But oh More horrible than that / Is the curse in a dead mans eye Seven days, seven nights, I saw that Curse, / and yet I could not die (Line 257). Cleary seen in the quotation above, the curse resulting in the murder of Albatross left the Mariner viewing death as the only possible option to relieve himself of the haunting, tragic images that left his crew dead. Under the moonlit sky as the Mariners ship still sails cursed, but then he witnesses something that changes his perception of God and his f aith.Beyond the shadow of the ship, / I watchd the water-snakes / They moved in tracks of shinning white, / And when they reard, the elfish light / Fell off in hoary flakes. Within the shadow of the ship / I watchd their rich attire / Blue, glossy green, and velvet black, / They coild and swam and every track / Was a flash of golden fire. / O happy living things No tongue / Their beauty might declare / A spring of love gushd from my heart, / And I blessd them unaware / Sure my merciful saint took pity on me, / And I blessd them unaware. / The selfsame moment I could pray / And from my neck so free / The Albatross sink off, and sank / Like lead into the sea. (Line 272).It is at this point that the Mariner begins his transformation leading him closer to God allowing him to see the beauty in ll of Gods creations and creatures as he forms a respect for the presence of God in nature. This reconciliation in the Mariners life breaks the curse and shines a light of hope into the eyes of a man who was praying for death. Coleridge uses the wrath and guilt of the apocalypse, but adds his own ideas of divine love and conversion, which lead to paradise. Even though the Mariner must ride out with his penance, he is free of Gods wrath and is able to appreciate and love all of nature as Gods creation. Throughout this poem there are many examples of biblical symbolisms in nature.Coleridge uses different elements of nature, such as the sea, as symbols of religious thought or beliefs. The sea is where the decisive events, the moments of sempiternal choice, temptation, and redemption occur. While at sea, the Mariner makes the eternal choice to kill the Albatross. This choice is eternal because once the Mariner has committed the act of murder there is nothing that he can do to change it. As a result of the Mariners decision, a curse falls over the ship and the Mariner is sentenced to eternal penance.The eternal penance that he must serve is a reminder to the Mariner of the c hoice that he made. However, even after the death of his soul, the Mariner experiences redemption when he recognizes and learns to love all of Gods creations. It is a known fact that Coleridges thoughts and feelings where rarely affected by his beliefs, especially the apocalypse. The apocalyptic story deals with Gods freeing the soul of man from the pains of sin and death, and lifting it into paradise. After the Mariner kills the albatross, he feels as if he is under some sort of curse.However, the Mariner goes through as conversion, which thus releases his soul from the pains of sin and death so that he can once once more obtain happiness. There are two essential steps in the conversion process. The first step occurs when imaginative powers mythological appearances of nature, so that the slightest willful act appears to bring down a terrible vengeance. The willful act that the Mariner partakes in is the killing of the Albatross, and the terrible vengeance that occurs as a result of this action is the curse that is cast over the ship.The second part of this conversion process takes place at the greatest moment of hopelessness. At this point, the presence of divine love within humankind appears, and emphasizes the appearance of the natural world. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner is not a direct religious sermon, but there are many strong references to the Christian religion throughout the poem, which stem from Coleridges own religious beliefs. Although Coleridge did not take the religious images in this poem directly from the Bible, ofttimes of his inspiration for the poem seems to be based on religious ideas, especially that of the Apocalypse.To conclude, Coleridge integrates natural symbols, which are associated with the religious symbols, in to this poem in order to further emphasize his belief that God is present everywhere in nature, and that one can be sent into this state of paradise when this love for God is discovered. By using imagery from the apocaly pse and religious symbolism in nature, Coleridge created an incredible poem, which expresses how the realization of divine love within oneself has the power to heal pain and suffering, musical composition bringing oneself to a state of clarity, tranquility and enlightenment.