The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

Which lines show the Mariner clinging to his evil ways ... his turning to hate instead of love?

Which specific lines in the tale show the Mariner being evil instead of loving

Asked by
Last updated by Aslan
Answers 1
Add Yours

He sets sail from his native country with two hundred other men who are all saved from a strange, icy patch of ocean when they are kind to an Albatross that lives there. Impulsively and inexplicably, he shoots the Albatross with his crossbow and is punished for his crime by a spirit who loved the Albatross. He is cursed to be haunted indefinitely by his dead shipmates, and to be compelled to tell the tale of his downfall at random times. Each time he is compelled to share his story with someone, he feels a physical agony that is abated only temporarily once he finishes telling the tale. Now as far as your question goes, I think the Meriner's story is one of penance rather than hate. Certainly the killing of the albatross was done out of ignorance and pride. It takes time for the mariner to discover nature's beauty. When he does discover beauty in a sea snake, there is an amount redemption.

“O happy living things! No tongue

Their beauty might declare:

A spring of love gushed from my heart,

And I blessed them unaware:

Sure my kind saint took pity on me,

And I blessed them unaware”