The Rime of the Ancient Mariner Themes

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner Themes

Nature

Nature plays a major part in the voyage. The Mariner has committed a crime against nature by killing the Albatross. After that, nature is part of the revenge against the Mariner. In the epigraph by Burnet, he talks about how people should study nature, both the visible and invisible. The Mariner emphasizes his surroundings, which include the sun, moon and ocean. Sun and moon are even capitalized. Nature reflects the mood of the voyage. When the voyage starts off happily, the sun shines. The stormy weather leads the ship into an icy area, which sets the stage for the arrival of the Albatross. The Albatross and fog come at the same time. The ice splits and lets the ship pass through. Then the wind comes. After the Mariner kills the Albatross, the crew first blames him because they think the Albatross brought the wind. Then, they side with him and...
(read more)