1. Ancient Mariner Part I

2. First Stanza It is an ancient Mariner, And he stoppeth one of three. “By thy long grey beard and glittering eye, Now wherefore stoppest thou me? Why one of three? Is there something special about the one? The Wedding Guest is the speaker within the third person narration. Appearance/Imager: Long beard, glittering eye. There is something mystic and eerie about the mariner.

4. Stanzas 2 & 3 “The Bridegroom's doors are opened wide,(5) And I am next of kin; The guests are met, the feast is set: May'st hear the merry din.” He holds him with his skinny hand, “There was a ship,” quoth he.(10) “Hold off! unhand me, grey-beard loon!” Eftsoons his hand dropt he. What’s the best part of a wedding? The reception. Mariner attempts to begin tale. His physical “hold” has no effect. His power is later shown through his piercing gaze. Diction: the word “loon” conveys the guest’s attitude toward the mariner. Archaic (Old-Fashioned) Language: “Eftsoons” was an antiquated word for “immediately”. Coleridge endured some criticism for the use of such words.

5. Stanzas 4, 5, & 6 He holds him with his glittering eye— The Wedding-Guest stood still, And listens like a three years child:(15) The Mariner hath his will. (Gloss: The Wedding-Guest is spell-bound by the eye of the old seafaring man, and constrained to hear his tale.) The Wedding-Guest sat on a stone: He cannot choose but hear; And thus spake on that ancient man, The bright-eyed Mariner. The ship was cheered, the harbor cleared, (20) Merrily did we drop Below the kirk, below the hill, Below the light-house top. The Mariner’s “glittering eye” is given emphasis, and sight is a key sense throughout the poem. Free will is a significant idea throughout the poem. We are told the Wedding-Guest is no longer exercising choice. The Mariner’s story (a flashback to many years ago when he was a young man) begins. The tone of this stanza suggests hope and optimism. The “kirk” is a church. The ship and its crew bid farewell to the rules of religion in favor of a world governed by mysterious forces.

7. Stanza 7 & 8 The Sun came up upon the left, Out of the sea came he!(25) And he shone bright, and on the right Went down into the sea. (Gloss: The Mariner tells how the ship sailed southward with a good wind and fair weather, till it reached the Line.) Higher and higher every day, Till over the mast at noon— The Wedding-Guest here beat his breast,(30) For he heard the loud bassoon. The SUN is a reoccurring symbol in the poem, but it does not always signify the same things. It is also PERSONIFIED favorably. The journey is clearly heading. The conditions are favorable. The LINE suggest the equator. The sun literally gets higher each day as the vessel approaches the equator. The first leg of this journey is without incident. Line 30 signals an awkward return to the present of the story. The wedding guest is conscious that he is missing the party and is outraged by it. Nonetheless, he is powerless in the Mariner’s grip.

8. Stanzas 9 & 10 The bride hath paced into the hall, Red as a rose is she; Nodding their heads before her goes The merry minstrelsy.(35) (Gloss: The Wedding- Guest heareth the bridal music; but the Mariner continueth his tale.) The Wedding-Guest he beat his breast, Yet he cannot choose but hear; And thus spake on that ancient man, The bright-eyed Mariner. The SIMILE that describes the bride serves as a contrast to the description of Death’s partner later in the poem. The wedding feast also contrasts the experience the Mariner is relating to the wedding guest. A straight repetition reinforces the guest’s frustration and absence of free will. The Mariner’s eye is again evoked.

9. Stanzas 11, 12, 13 And now the STORM-BLAST came, and he Was tyrannous and strong: He struck with his o'ertaking wings, And chased south along. With sloping masts and dipping prow, As who pursued with yell and blow (45) Still treads the shadow of his foe And forward bends his head, The ship drove fast, loud roared the blast, And southward aye we fled. And now there came both mist and snow, (50) And it grew wondrous cold: And ice, mast-high, came floating by, As green as emerald. This event may FORESHADOW far worse conditions to come. The STORM-BLAST is PERSONIFIED. An aggressive and hostile bird is depicted. This contrasts the gentleness and innocence of the albatross that is to come. Another shift in descriptive IMAGERY and TONE informs the reader just how far this journey has come. They are approaching the South Pole region. The IMAGERY associated with the region/ice is more mystical than harmful. It is the first touch of GOTHIC IMAGERY.

10. Stanzas 14, 15, 16 And through the drifts the snowy clifts Did send a dismal sheen:(55) Nor shapes of men nor beasts we ken— The ice was all between. The ice was here, the ice was there, The ice was all around: It cracked and growled, and roared and howled,(60) Like noises in a swound! At length did cross an Albatross: Thorough the fog it came; As if it had been a Christian soul, We hailed it in God's name. (65) The word “dismal” is the first that suggests a negative meaning. There is no visible life in this region which will make the albatross’s arrival all the more conspicuous. A REPETITION that both reinforces the presence of the ice. The ice is frightening, but as GOTHIC as this depiction seems, it would literally make these sounds. Coleridge often has some basis in reality even in his most fantastical descriptions. Finally, our focal subject emerges. Once again, PERSONIFICATION is employed and a SIMILE reinforces its nature. It is unmistakably good from this depiction and the sailors recognize it as such. This will heighten the nature of the crew’s sin later.

12. Stanzas 17 & 18 It ate the food it ne'er had eat, And round and round it flew. The ice did split with a thunder-fit; The helmsman steered us through! And a good south wind sprung up behind,(70) The Albatross did follow, And every day, for food or play, Came to the mariners' hollo! The crew is feeding the bird. They likely see the bird as a favorable omen in the starkly contrasted menace of the ice. It may be the talisman that gets them through. Conditions have improved. The bird would be associated with that. The Mariner has specifically developed a relationship with the bird, which seems to have become tame to him.

15. Stanzas 19 & 20 In mist or cloud, on mast or shroud, It perched for vespers nine;(75) Whiles all the night, through fog-smoke white, Glimmered the white Moon-shine. “God save thee, ancient Mariner! From the fiends, that plague thee thus!— Why look'st thou so?”—With my cross- bow(80) I shot the Albatross. “Vespers” refers to a prayer service held in the evening. Coupled with “nine,” it suggests the bird has been with the vessel for 9 evenings. Visibility remains low, and the bird seems to provide the boat with safe passage. REPETITION: “White” is a safe, or at least neutral color. In this case, the white fog competes with the white moon-shine. An eruption from the Wedding Guest startles the reader. Apparently, the Mariner’s face has become disturbing as he recounts his tale. From the Wedding Guest’s outburst, we discern that to this day the Mariner is haunted by his action. There is nothing to suggest WHY the Mariner shot the bird. Still, it is an action on which the remainder of the poem hinges.