The Rime Of The Ancient Mariner Flashcards
What is the key plot points of part 1
-The Ancient Mariner, an old man with a grey beard and a “glittering eye,” stops a man about to go into a wedding
-The Wedding Guest tries again to get out of hearing the story, but the Mariner holds him spellbound with his eye,
-The Mariner then launches into the story of his experiences at sea
-he moves on to the great storm, which pushed the ship towards the South Pole, Where he and other Sailors are surrounded by ice, mist, and snow. There is a complete lack of life, but also a sense of the sublime
-The silence and lack of life is broken, by an Albatross, which the crew hails as they believe it to be a sign of good luck
- Sailors all rejoice at the newly blowing wind (which they attribute to the bird) that allows them to begin heading north again.
-The mariner makes a terrible mistake and shoots the albatross
What are the key plot points of part 2
-after he shot the Albatross, the ship began sailing northward with strong winds
- when the mist fades , the Sailors attribute this to the Albatross’s death,
- they justify the killing and praise the Mariner for what he did making themselves accomplices to his crime.
- suddenly, the wind dies down and the Sailors become
stranded surrounded by water that they cannot drink
-Mariner cries out to Christ in terror afraid of the slimy creatures crawling on the surface of the sea.
- Seeking to “throw the whole guilt” on him for what he did. the soldiers decide to hang the dead Albatross around the Mariner’s neck.
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What are the key plot points of part 3
-the Mariner sees a speck grow closer and closer, he recognizes what its a ship
- However, due hid dry throat he cant call out to the sailors
-To solve this problem, the Mariner explains that he “bit my arm, I sucked my blood, / And cried, A sail! A sail!” With this sacrifice he alerts the Sailors to the approaching ship.
- The Sailors at first take great joy in the Mariner’s announcement as they believe they will be saved
-But that joy turns to horror, as they begin to question how the ship could possibly be approaching without a breeze or tide.
-Its a ghost ship, he sees the two main passengers
-Death himself and Life-in-Death, a woman
-the Mariner notes that Death and Life-in-Death have been playing dice for the crew. Life-in-Death has won the soul of the Mariner.
-In the moonlight, one by one, all two hundred Sailors drop down dead. Their souls whizz by the Mariner
- he alone is left alive to face whatever penance is demanded of him in his trials.
What are the key plot points for part 4
-Alone on the sea, he feels that he has no pity, he is surrounded by horrifying ocean and the dead bodies
- In his anguish he looks to heaven, but finds himself unable to pray.
- He notes that the dead bodies do not decay, and their cursing gaze is held
- Following this weeklong dead-eyed curse, the Mariner comes to his great realization.
-the Mariner watches beautiful water snakes glistening and swimming beside the ship. At their sight he exclaims, “O happy living things
- He blesses the creatures, and as a result he is able to pray, and at this moment the Albatross slips off his neck and into the sea.
What are the key plot points for part 5
- the Mariner is able to fall asleep, he dreams of rain, and he awakes to find his dream realized. He drinks and drinks, momentarily at ease
-the Mariner notices the wind begin to rage and nature and supernatural spirits begin to act out.
-The dead Sailors groan, rise up, and, without speaking or moving their eyes, begin working on the ship.
-Even without wind they are able to sail the ship. The Wedding Guest reacts to this detail in horror
- The Mariner assures him that it was not demons Instead, the bodies (and the ship) were piloted by a troop of angels.
- The Mariner is thrown into a fit, and in that strange state he hears two voices
-They start to converse. one voice then responds to the other, “The man hath penance done, / And penance more will do.”
What are the key plot points for part 6
- They then fly away, Mariner wakes under the moonlit sky beside the dead Sailors.
-As indicated by the voices, the Mariner must face more penance and horrors.
-he loses his ability to pray and communicate with God. This curse and lapse of communication is healed once more through the eyes and observation of nature’s beauty.
-This breeze moves the ship swiftly, until the Mariner cries out with joy: he has been brought home
-the Mariner sees the angels leaving the souls of the dead Sailors for good
- He then sees a small boat carrying a Pilot, a Pilot’s Boy, and a Hermit.
-The Mariner determines the Hermit to be a man of God, and decides that he will be able to absolve him of his sin,
What are the key plot points for part 7
- The Mariner then describes the conversation between the Hermit and the Pilot, which he overheard as they approach his boat
- Suddenly, the Mariner’s ship begins to sink, but he is saved in the Pilot’s boat.
- When the boat begins spinning in the whirlpool caused by the sinking ship, the Mariner begins to speak, causing the Pilot, the Pilot’s Boy, and the Hermit to fall into fits
-Once upon land, the Mariner throws himself at the Hermit and begs for forgiveness
-When the confused Hermit asked him to explain, the Mariner gives the first retelling of his story.
-Since then, he explains, at random hours “agony returns,” and until he tells his story once again, his heart burns.
-The Mariner says that he passes from land to land using his “strange power of speech,”
-the mariner ends with the overall lesson
