Theme 1: The Crime Itself Flashcards
“With my cross-bow / I shot the ALBATROSS.”
Part 1
Analysis:
• The monosyllabic simplicity of “I shot the Albatross” is abrupt and almost emotionless, reflecting the senselessness of the act.
• The enjambment across the line break isolates “I shot the ALBATROSS,” heightening the impact of the crime and placing full weight on the Mariner’s action.
• The capitalisation of “ALBATROSS” (in some editions) elevates the symbolic weight of the bird, linking it to nature, innocence, or even a Christ-like figure—its death becomes a moral crime against creation.
• Structure Point 1: Sudden transition marks the turning point of the narrative—from harmony to horror. A clear structural pivot.
“Instead of the cross, the Albatross / About my neck was hung.”
Part 2
Analysis:
• This ironic substitution of the Christian “cross” with the Albatross frames the killing as a sacrilegious crime.
• The physical burden becomes a metaphorical sign of guilt—he is marked not by holiness, but by sin.
• Structure Point 2: This is a symbolic inversion—where an object traditionally representing salvation (cross) becomes replaced by guilt and damnation (Albatross).
“Ah! well-a-day! what evil looks / Had I from old and young!”
Part 2
Analysis:
• This suggests social condemnation, with the crew turning against the Mariner. The communal disapproval reflects how society (even on the ship) passes judgment on the criminal.
• The exclamatory tone shows his emotional burden beginning to manifest—shame and isolation begin here.
• Structure Point 3: This introduces group morality—a chorus-like condemnation before supernatural punishment begins.
“The other was a softer voice, / As soft as honey-dew:”
Part 5
Analysis:
• Part of the description of the supernatural voices, which discuss the Mariner’s fate.
• Their dialogue introduces a cosmic judgment, confirming that the crime has transcended human law.
• The gentle tone of the second voice reflects the possibility of redemption, even after crime—a core idea in Romantic crime texts.
“The Spirit who bideth by himself / In the land of mist and snow”
Part 5
Analysis:
• This references the polar spirit angered by the Albatross’s death—suggesting that the crime was not just against the bird, but against the entire natural/spiritual order.
• The isolation of the spirit (“bideth by himself”) mirrors the Mariner’s own growing isolation—emphasising a symmetry of victim and criminal.
“Whiles all the night, through fog-smoke white, / Glimmered the white Moon-shine.”
Part 1
Analysis:
• The repetition of whiteness and the ghostly imagery convey the moral ambiguity of the crime—did the Mariner fully understand the consequences of his action?
• The moon, often a symbolic watcher or judge, glimmers through fog—suggesting uncertainty and concealment.
• Structure Point 4: Coleridge uses gothic imagery to reflect the unknown and unknowable nature of the Mariner’s act—early use of narrative uncertainty.
“Why look’st thou so?”—“With my cross-bow / I shot the Albatross.”
Part 1
Analysis:
• The Mariner is prompted to confess—this is the first moment of narrative reflection on the crime.
• The couplet forms a kind of mini-confession—succinct and bare, showing the Mariner’s resigned admission of guilt.
• Structure Point 5: The confession acts as a refrain, repeated in different forms, showing how the crime recurs in memory.
“A weary time! a weary time!”
Part 3
Analysis:
• This is not the crime itself but reflects the emotional weight it imposes. The repetition of “weary” underlines how the consequences of crime are drawn out and psychologically exhausting.
• The structure mimics obsessive thought, linking to how criminals may ruminate endlessly on their act.
“Water, water, everywhere, / Nor any drop to drink.”
Part 2
Analysis:
• This paradox expresses how nature turns hostile in the wake of the crime. The abundance of water becomes useless—justice is poetic and indirect.
• This line is proverbial now, showing the cultural impact of Coleridge’s exploration of crime and punishment.
• Structure Point 6: The use of paradox introduces a punitive atmosphere—reflecting Romanticism’s preference for emotional and poetic justice.
“Each turned his face with a ghastly pang, / And cursed me with his eye.”
Part 3
Analysis:
• The crew’s death becomes a second judgment—their dying gaze is a kind of spiritual condemnation of the Mariner.
• “Cursed me with his eye” implies the curse is social, moral, and metaphysical—again, there’s no need for human law because punishment is inherent.
• Structure Point 7: The use of choric repetition (the crew acting together) creates a ritualistic quality to judgment.
