Christian and Biblical References Hidden Within “the Rime...

Mike Peirce Professor: Mahlika Hopwood Text amp; Context: Imagination and Reality Due: March 8th, 2012 Christian and Biblical References Hidden Within â€Å"The Rime of the Ancient Mariner† Christian and Biblical references have been involved in the craft of writing since the birth of religion; or at earliest, the composition of the Bible. Biblical Symbolism in â€Å"Rime of the Ancient Mariner† Samuel Taylor Coleridges poem, which was written in 1797, has been widely discussed throughout literary history. Although critics have come up with many different interpretations of this poem, one idea that has remained prevalent throughout these discussions is the apparent religious symbolism present throughout this poem. The Ancient†¦show more content†¦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 Mariner’s ship still sails cursed, but then he witnesses something that changes his perception of God and his faith. â€Å"Beyond the shadow of the ship, / I watch’d the water-snakes: / They moved in tracks of shinning white, / And when they rear’d, the elfish light / Fell off in hoary flakes. / Within the shadow of the ship / I watch’d their rich attire: / Blue, glossy green, and velvet black, / They coil’d 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 gush’d from my heart, / And I bless’d them unaware: / Sure my kind saint took pity on me, / And I bless’d them unaware. / The selfsame moment I could pray; / And from my neck so free / The Albatross fell 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 all of God’s creations and creatures as he forms a respect for the presence of God in nature. This reconciliation in the Mariner’s life breaks the curse and shines a light of hope into the eyes of a man who was praying for death. Coleridge