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