A Critical Essay on the Use of Symbols in Samuel Taylor Coleridge's "The Rime of The Ancient Mariner"

Symbolic Tapestry in T. S. Coleridge's "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner"

Introduction

The term ‘symbolism’ can be defined as the practice, system and art of representing ideas by means of symbols. The term ‘symbol’ although is a word, a phrase, an object, or a clause even, yet it always represents an abstraction. So the thing represented is an idea, quality, condition, or any other abstract thing. T. S. Coleridge's renowned poem, "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner," weaves a complex tapestry of symbolism, captivating readers with its profound imagery and allegorical depth. Published in 1798, this narrative masterpiece employs a plethora of symbols to convey deeper meanings and explore themes of guilt, redemption, and the human relationship with the natural world. This critical essay delves into the rich symbolism embedded within "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" and elucidates its significance within the poem's broader context.

Kinds of symbols:   Use of symbols in "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner"

Coleridge has employed symbolism in "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner", as Elmer Edgar Stoll sums up in two artistic symbolic categories- symbols of distance and symbols of life in Middle Ages.

Elmer Edgar Stoll opines that the symbols are based on the ‘principle of’ perspective’. The symbols of the art of story telling serves to heighten the illusion; credibly the marvels, provide an approach to them, a middle distance, which makes them appropriately hover remote. There is also nearer distance. The wedding Guest is a symbol of the middle distance. He stands between The Ancient Mariner and his voyage in a land of marvels. The marginal comment of the poet is a symbol of never distance. It stands between the reader and the marvel land of poetry.

Further, the Hermit, the pilot and the pilot’s boy, again the background of the sea-port hill, the church, and the lighthouse are symbols of the vanished life of the middle Ages. Hence in the words of Stoll, “When the Mariner and his strip, equally bewitched arrive, the effect of the mere sight of them on normal every day Hermit, pilot and pilot, boy is startling, shocking. The effect of that in turn upon the Wedding Guest and also the reader is convincing." 

The Mariner – A symbol of Inquiring Spirit

E. M. W. Tillyard looks upon the "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" a symbol of “an unusually inquiring spirit,” and his voyage as a ‘internal adventure’. Allan Grant says that The Mariner’s tale is a story of a voyage into the interior. Not only into the unfathomable depths of the sources of human action; the story also takes us beyond the human world altogether. Again, it is a voyage of extreme contrasts of suffering and of expiation, of the human and social and an altogether alien cosmos with its own terrible yet beautiful order.

Water

Water, a ubiquitous element throughout the poem, assumes multifaceted symbolic significance. On one hand, it represents life and sustenance for the mariner and his crewmates during their maritime journey. However, as the ship becomes stranded in an eerily stagnant ocean, water assumes a foreboding presence, symbolizing the unpredictable and treacherous aspects of existence. Moreover, water acts as a purifying agent, both physically and metaphorically, signifying the transformative power of repentance and redemption.

The Hermit

The hermit, a figure of spiritual guidance and redemption, emerges in the later stages of the poem. This benevolent character represents the possibility of absolution and acts as a catalyst for the mariner's ultimate redemption. Through the hermit, Coleridge emphasizes the importance of compassion and forgiveness in the face of profound guilt. The hermit's role in the narrative symbolizes the potential for spiritual growth and serves as a beacon of hope amidst the mariner's bleak journey.

The Skeleton Ship

A haunting and macabre symbol, the appearance of the skeleton ship, crewed by Death and Life-in-Death, embodies the enduring consequences of the mariner's actions. This spectral vessel symbolizes mortality and the eternal burden of guilt. Death and Life-in-Death engage in a fateful dice game, representing the arbitrary nature of life and death and highlighting the weight of the mariner's transgressions. The symbol of the skeleton ship underscores the inescapable consequences of one's actions and underscores the enduring nature of moral culpability.

Moon Symbolism

According to A. Douglas, “With Coleridge, a weak or waning moon is pretty clearly a powerful symbol for loss of mother love. In "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner", Part-iii the crescent moon rises after life in death has won the Mariner’s soul and Death has won his ship mates lives. Here The moon rises in the east, while the moon always rises in the west.

The Albatross: Shooting of the Albatross

Taking center stage, the albatross assumes a pivotal role as the poem's most prominent symbol. Initially, this majestic bird signifies good fortune, guiding the ship through treacherous icy waters. However, the mariner's inexplicable act of shooting the albatross transforms it into a symbol of guilt and retribution. The albatross embodies the innocent beauty of nature and represents humanity's inherent interconnectedness with the environment.  The Albatross is following the ship- stands for the power of nature, coming to the help of the Mariner and his crew. It saves them from snow and fog. The bird seems to suggest some redeeming force in creation that guides humanity:

“As if it had been a Christian soul,

We hailed it in God’s name.”

image: wikipedia

The shooting of the Albatross comes quite suddenly and irrationally. Its killing serves as a powerful reminder of the dire consequences that arise from the wanton destruction of the natural world. It symbolizes the sin of ignorance. The act is explicitly called hellish. As a result the ship is becalmed in a tropic sea. Etching heat replaces icy cold. The Mariner gradually discovers from the result of his action that the killing of the albatross is the violation of a great sanctity. The sympathy between Nature and voyage is broken and terrible retribution follows. The knowledge of evil is symbolized by the slimy things that crawl on the retiring ocean, and the death-fires and ‘witch’s oil’ burning by night.

Conclusion

T. S. Coleridge's "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" intricately weaves a tapestry of symbolism, illuminating profound truths about guilt, redemption, and the intricate relationship between humanity and the natural world. Through the evocative symbols of the albatross, water, the hermit, and the skeleton ship, Coleridge crafts a narrative that invites readers to contemplate their own actions, their impact on the environment, and the potential for spiritual and moral growth. This poetic masterpiece stands as a testament to the enduring power of symbolism in conveying profound insights and continues to captivate readers with its allegorical richness. Coleridge defines a symbol as something which presents the eternal in the temporal, and the universal in the particular. It is through the use of symbols that a poet conveys universal truth. "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner", being a Tale of the supernatural, is also symbolic and allegorical.

          Through a set of symbols the poem becomes a moral allegory which says,

                             “He prayeth well who loveth well

                               Both man and bird and beast.”

The whole poem illustrates the moral of an intimate kinship between all living things. God is on the side of pity and love, and the forces of the universe become hostile to those who show cruelly towards animals. According to C. M. Bowra, this poem is a “myth of guilt and redemption.”

  

Ardhendu De  

References

1. Stoll, E. E. (1948). Symbolism in Coleridge. PMLA, 63(1), 214–233. https://doi.org/10.2307/459414

2. McDonald, D. (1964). Too Much Reality: A Discussion of “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.” Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900, 4(4), 543–554. https://doi.org/10.2307/449508

3. Grant, Allan, A Preface to Coleridge, 1972.

4. The rime of the ancient mariner : Coleridge, Samuel Taylor, 1772-1834 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive. (n.d.). Internet Archive. https://archive.org/details/rimeofancientmar00coleuoft

5. The Romantic Imagination : C.m.bowra : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive. (n.d.). Internet Archive. https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.72367