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  • Essay / The mediative allegorical significance of Dore's illustrations to "The Rime of the Ancient Sailor"

    The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner is undoubtedly considered a lyrical masterpiece and career cornerstone of Coleridge's writer. The seven-part epic poem was originally published in 1798 as part of the Lyrical Ballads of Wordsworth and Coleridge, along with a few other collections of poems. Originally, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner featured archaic language and was somewhat criticized for its ambiguous writing. This in turn led to the printing of a revised version of the poem in 1817. In his revisions, Coleridge added marginal glosses to the poem which help guide the reader's interpretation of the work. Today, it is the 1817 version of the poem which is the most widespread, and it is for this version that Gustave Doré created illustrated plates in 1876. Doré created 38 plates representing scenes from The Rime of the Old Man sailor which were published in the 1876 edition. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay By adding illustrations to the poem, new intermedial modalities were introduced. The poem itself is descriptive and paints iconic images through its flowery words, making good use of invoking the reader's senses. Doré's illustrations mainly enhance the sensory and semiotic modalities already present in the poem by adding physical iconic signs. As a result, the reader gets a clearer picture of the narrative throughout the poem and, by visualizing the iconic representation, creates new hermeneutic deductions from the plates presented alongside the text. This article will focus on the analysis of one of these plates, namely plate no. 9 “I had done an infernal thing” and its relationship with the poem. However, for this to happen, some context is necessary. The Rime of the Ancient Sailor is the story of a wizened old sailor telling the story of his youth to a young wedding guest. As such, the tale's narrative acts as a framing device for the main narrative; how the young sailor and his comrades committed a heinous act against nature and how he sought redemption. During one voyage, the sailor's ship was thrown far south where it became lost in a sea of ​​ice. Luckily for them, an albatross helped them escape. But while escaping from the icy waters, the sailor kills the albatross, thinking that it is a bird of bad omen. At first, his teammates condemn him, but seeing that the weather is actually improving, they change their minds and applaud him instead. Soon after, they realize their mistake and the ship is becalmed as punishment for killing the albatross. The sailor is kept alive by supernatural forces as one by one the crew members die, cursing him. While in the depths of despair and torment, the sailor finds the beauty in the creatures of the sea and, in blessing them, he also begins to redeem himself for his deed. Kind spirits then help him return home, where he must now travel and share his story with those who deserve it. Plate #9 “I had done a hellish thing” depicts a scene shortly after the sailor kills the albatross and his crewmates condemn him for killing the bird “It made the breeze blow.” In this plate, Doré depicts the sailor standing on the mast, facing outwards, with his arms suspended between a pair of rope ladders. The sailor's head is lowered, his face plunged into shadow. His posture suggests deep introspection or regret at the hellish thing he has done. In the background we see a sea of ​​​​waves !. 19.