Download The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

By Samuel Taylor Coleridge
THE RIME OF THE ANCIENT MARINER
OVERVIEW:
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner is a ballad,
meaning that it is a poem that tells a story and
has a sing-song quality.
 There are seven parts to the poem.
 The poem is a frame story, just like
Frankenstein.

FRAME STORY
This poem is a frame story: we begin with the
mariner walking along the beach in penance for
a crime, and he begins telling his story to a
guest at a wedding.
 We have two stories, one in which the mariner
talks with the wedding guest and one in which
the mariner commits his crime while sailing
with his ship crew.

NOTE:
The Albatross ~ The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
gave us a metaphor that we still use today. People
will often refer to a burden as their “albatross,”
which comes from this poem.
References in Frankenstein ~ Mary Shelly
references this poem in Frankenstein.
References to Paradise Lost ~ Coleridge
references the epic poem in Mariner
LITERARY DEVICES TO LOOK FOR:
Alliteration ~ The repetition of a sound.
Imagery ~ Figurative language that paints a
picture in your mind.
Onomatopoeia ~ Sound words like “bam”
Archaisms ~ Old forms of language
ROMANTIC PERIOD THEMES
Nature, Need to respect nature
 Dark, moody tone
 The supernatural
