"The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" : Summary

Summary

The long sea voyage is over. An Ancient Mariner returns after this sea voyage. His sea voyage experience is described in this poem.

Stopping the Guests Going to the Wedding Ceremony: The ancient Mariner stopped some of the guests on their way to the wedding and wanted to tell a story. But the wedding ceremony is about to begin. So at first, the guests did not want to hear the story of the Ancient Mariner. But one of them is mesmerized by the Mariner’s sparkling eyes as the Mariner repeats. So he started listening to the story.

Ship Stormed: The mariner begins his story by describing how their ship sailed from the harbor in a cheerful state of mind among the Mariners. But they had a beautiful journey for a short time. Shortly thereafter, a storm drove their ship south into the snow and fog of Antarctica. Then the ship got stuck in the ice.

The Arrival of the Albatross: An Albatross bird flies through the mist. At the arrival of the Albatross, the ship broke through the ice and set sail again. So, all Mariners regarded this bird as a noble spirit or messenger of God. This holy bird was flying along with the ship. The Mariners were feeding the Albatross. At one point, a southerly wind began to blow, which drove the ship out of the cursed place of ice and fog. The Mariners thanked the bird.

Observe the Change in the Appearance of the Mariner by the Guest: The wedding guest then notices that the Mariner’s face turns black at this point as he narrates the story. The mariner answered his curiosity by killing the bird with his arrow on the spur of the moment.

Killing the Bird and Sufferings: His fellow Mariners blamed him for killing the sacred bird and cursed him. After some time, the ship drifted normally northward and sank again into the fog. The wind stopped, and the ship settled in the middle of the sea. At that time, the Mariners thought that this bird had brought the fog and killed the bird and did the right thing for the Mariner.

Gradually, their water reserves are exhausted. Even though there is water around them, there is not even a drop of water for them to drink. The sea was so calm that it looked like it had rotted, and strange creatures floated on the rotten water. The Mariners now began to think the bird’s spirit was following them to seek revenge. Their mouths were so dry for lack of water that the Mariners could not speak. All the Mariners looked at the Mariner with disgust. The Mariners removed the cross that the Mariner was wearing around his neck. The Mariners hang the dead albatross around his neck to signify that he has sinned.

Understanding the Ancient Mariner’s Error: Two hundred Mariners died one by one. The ancient mariner lives alone and suffers the agony of death. He realizes his mistake. Around him lay the dead bodies of all the Mariners. Once the moon rises in the sky, he sees the water snakes in the sea and blesses them. He succeeds in praying, and the dead Albatross falls from his throat. And sinks into the seawater.

Receiving Forgiveness from God: Then the ancient Mariner fell asleep, exhausted. When he finally woke up, it was raining. He quenches his thirst. Then saw those dead Mariners wake up. As soon as they woke up, they went to work without speaking to the ancient Mariner. Once, they become lifeless again, but this time, the ship continues. The ancient Mariner then fainted. When he wakes up, he finds two spirits discussing his sins. One says the ancient Mariner committed the unforgivable crime of killing the Albatross. Another says the ancient mariner has atoned enough and will do more.

The Return of the Ancient Mariner to His Homeland: Then the Mariner wakes up. The dead Mariners also wake up. A little later, the ship entered the coast. He knows it is his country. He then sees an angel standing next to each of the dead Mariners. Soon, he saw a boat coming towards him. A boatman, his son, and a monk. The Ancient Mariner was happy thinking that this monk would wash away all his sins.

Before the boat could reach it, the ship sank with a thunderclap. But the boatman rescued him. However, the boatman was scared when he saw the Mariner’s face. The boatman’s son also becomes almost insane. Finally, the Mariner set foot on the soil of his country. He then requested the monk to wash away his sins. When the monk asks about his identity, the ancient Mariner explains the story behind his ghostly appearance.

From then on, whenever the ancient Mariner remembered his sin, he would tell someone the story of his sin. Telling the story, he felt peace in his heart. The Ancient Mariner now said he used to tell stories like this from one place to another at night. He can understand who will listen to his story by looking at people’s faces. Finally, he says, he loves all creatures, big and small. Then, the ancient Mariner suddenly disappeared.