Christian Imagery In Coleridge’S “Rime Of The Ancient Mariner”

Introduction

Samuel Taylor Coleridge, one of the most outstanding figures of Romanticism, was born into a religious family. His father was the vicar of Ottery St Mary, a small village in Devon, and through him Coleridge became familiar with the principles of Christianity. Although a number of critics have tried to prove the contrary, references to Christianity can be found in Coleridge’s most famous poetic creation: The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.
Some critics argue that Coleridge’s profound interest in religion was responsible for the use of religious images in his poems. According to Lipkowitz, Coleridge had learned the Hebrew language in order to read the Bible in its original and praised it as an unequalled literary work. Lipkowitz points out various evidence to Coleridge’s study of the Bible and quotes a number of marginal notes made by Coleridge which reveal his interest in the Bible as a book that “contains the reliques of the literature of the Hebrew people” and quotes this comment by Coleridge: “What can Greece or Rome present worthy to be compared with the 50th Psalm, either in sublimity or the imagery or in moral elevation?” (606). According to Lipkowitz, Coleridge “insisted on the applicability of Scriptures to the modern age” (619).
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, one of Coleridge’s most memorable poems, and the finest ballad in English literature contains numerous references to basic principles of Christianity such as death and resurrection, redemption, penance and salvation as well as the images of Christ, saints and spirits.

Discussion

Images of Christ, Saints, and Spirits
Throughout The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, numerous references are made to Christ, saints and spirits.
The Albatross which comes out of the fog and mist and functions for a time as the savior of the ship, becomes a Christ figure that brings on the salvation of the crew. It is “hailed in God’s name” by the Mariner and his crew as if it were “a Christian soul”....