In this essay, I will examine some of the symbols in Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem, "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner." Symbols were very important in this poem. Without the “Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner” symbols; would simply be a poem about an old sailor who tells the story of killing a bird to a guest at a wedding. Of course, anyone who reads the poem can see that there is more to it than just the telling of a story. The first symbol of the poem is the wedding attended by the guest and the sailor. This is a very significant detail, because Coleridge could have had the story take place in any setting, but he chose a marriage. For what? A wedding is a very religious and happy occasion. Weddings themselves symbolize new beginnings and happiness. The reason why Coleridge decided to tell this horrible story at a wedding could be due to several reasons. I think the setting was chosen because of the new beginnings involved. While the Mariner tells his story, the guest is held captive and when the story is over, the guest essentially becomes a new man and goes off to live the rest of his life. If the story had taken place at a funeral, the heavy feeling of ending would have destroyed the symbolism of a new beginning. End of life, of happiness, of everything. If that had happened, the fact that he got up the next day wouldn't have been as significant. Therefore, marriage is a very important symbol throughout the poem. The albatross is another important symbol throughout the poem. It first appears in the first section of the poem and is an auspicious symbol for sailors. The albatross is a white bird, which is probably why many Christians of the time considered it a sacred symbol, making it a good omen. In this poem, the albatross symbolizes good fortune. When the Mariner kills the albatross, for no reason at all, the luck that befell the ship is gone. Symbolically, the Mariner killed not a simple seabird, but an omen of good fortune and luck, which is why all bad things happen to sailors and the Mariner. The albatross goes from being a symbol of divine fortune to one of guilt when it is hung around the sailor's neck as a sign of what he has done. “Instead of the cross, the Albatross was hung around my neck. » (ln. 142 -43) This macabr...... middle of paper ...... albatross, the blood that the Mariner sucks to announce the ship, the game between Death and Life-In-La Death, the penance that the Mariner serves, and the cyclical nature of the poem are just some of the symbols that add meaning and depth to the poem. Without the symbols, the poem would simply be the story of a sailor telling his story to a hypnotized wedding guest, and the poem would then have no meaning to anyone. As it stands, “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”; is a poem of great depth and meaning, with a lesson that can apply to everyone. While reading this poem, the reader may feel a bit like the wedding guest, fascinated and hypnotized. It's because of the symbols. Even if the reader of the poem does not consciously perceive the symbols contained in the verse, the subconscious mind will grasp them and understand their intrinsic meaning. So the symbols in “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” are the part of the poem that makes it so intense. Works Cited Coleridge, Samuel Taylor. "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. In Seven Parts" (1817 text) in Samuel Taylor Coleridge: A Critical Edition of the Major Works. Ed. HJ Jackson. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1985.