Interpretations

• Many different interpretations

• Christian Parable/parallels - The Divine- Original sin- Cast out- Punishment- Sacrifice- Redemption • Political allegory• Tribute to maritime

expansion

• Bygrave[ 2002] reads it at four levels

- The narrative- At a moral level- Allegory of the human

interaction with nature- Spiritual • He find echoes of the

medieval morality play

Close study of text

The ballad form• Stark contrast to the

“sophistication’ of Neo Classical verse

• Medieval• Poetic form familiar to

uneducated• Simplicity of style• Intentional archaic

language...ballad of ancient times

• Deliberate ‘aging’ of the poem through the use of country lore & ancient superstitions

Techniques

• The seven part structure• The use of onomatopoeia to

establish and to sustain atmosphere• The effective variation of metre and

rhythm to track the stages of the ship’s voyage

• The powerful imagery• The symbolic use of colour• The powerful religious symbols• The contribution to the poem’s

meaning made by the variation of stanza length from the

• standard four-line stanza

• Albatross [whole notion of superstition]

- Hope- Divine intervention- Solitary beauty- Harmony- Good fortune- The sailor’s friend

The Epigraph/glosses• Some parody of the Neo classicists • The mystery of the universe• All that inhabit the world have an inherent

value• The magnitude of the unknown • ‘Explanatory notes’ add to its quaint archaic

nature...unravelling some ancient document• Some humour in the glosses

Ideas-The duality/complexity of human nature

- Our ability to create- Our ability to appreciate the beauty of the

world- The enormous potential for humanity- Juxtaposed with our potential for destruction

and evil

3 Complexity and richness of existence

• Neoclassical view of the world• Radical departure by the Romantics• The beauty ...the

wondrous...exotic...sense of awe juxtaposed with

• The terror...the Gothic• The sacred• The presence of the Divine• The Natural, the supernatural• Superstition• Intuition• The unity of creation• Sin punishment redemption

• The individual’s place and relationship with the natural world

• Unity of creation & existence

• Harmonious interaction of all aspects of the cosmos

4Existential search for meaning• Coming to terms with the

nature of humanity• Coming to terms with the

nature of existence• Journey of isolation...the

individual cut adrift- Physically- Socially- Morally• The fragility of humanity at the

complete mercy of nature• The attainment of wisdom

5 Coleridge's moral vision

• Physical and moral parameters are transgressed.

• Transgression a feature of Gothic

• Killing of the albatross • An act of evil...• Gratuitous...motiveless

malevolence...• The mariner a tragic hero...• Consequences/punishment• redemption...

• Allegory for human destruction

• Leads to alienation • Meaning when there is

engagement with as aspects of the natural world

Aspects of an Aristotelian tragic hero

• Cosmic crime...break down of the natural order...crime against nature/god

• Cosmic chaos disorder• Catharsis

The Imagination• Unifying force of the imagination- Past Present future• Creative force of the imagination• Weaving all aspects of our existence together• The mariner takes the guests including the reader

on this imaginary journey- We share his experiences- We join him on his journey- We witness his crime- We share his comrades outrage