The poet Coleridge uses the poem “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” to display the message that one must appreciate and love all beings of god creation or else Karma and fate will return for revenge. In this poem, the protagonist known as the Mariner commits a biblical crime of killing an Albatross which is a christian symbol for peace, while aboard a ship traveling with a crew around the world. Coleridge displays this message of fate and karma without respect to love and respect, through extensive the imagery of nature and supernatural beings. The time period of which this poem was written in plays a major role on the belief of these supernatural beings. Specifically in the late 1790’s and the early 1800’s of which this poem was written in, there was major hysteria with christian figures like regarding a woman's womb. This can be translated throughout numerous pieces as a symbol of peace, like the peace and serenity of a woman's baby. This displays that the periodization of which this poem was written in had a major effect of the overall message Coleridge was intending on portraying.
Then in reference to the poem, Coleridge displays his message in the beginning of the poem, the boat is described as being as war with a storm, “now the STORM BLAST came and he was tyrannous and strong ; he struck with his o’ertaking wings” (1). Through the personification of the storm and boat, this contrast creates foreshadowing for the destruction that these men will face during the trip. The author uses this imagery to set the poem to describe to the idea of fate, and what can happen will happen if its ones destiny. AS the poem progresses, the Mariner commits the crime of killing the Albatross and immediately nature is portrayed as influencing the karma that these men and the mariner will face due to the sinful action of killing the Albatross. The mariner comes across a supernatural being, when he questions “Is that death” and “the night-mare LIFE AND DEATH she was” , when he sees both of these spirits on a floating boat rolling die over the mariners fate. Including these spirits in the around the middle of the poem displays the fate and karma aspects of Coleridge's purpose, through the personification of these cycles of life. Then at the end of the poem, Coleridge states that “ He prayeth best, he loveth best all things both great and small; for dear god who loveth us. He made and loveth all” (9). Without the inclusion of this stanza in the poem the message would not be as evident as it may be with it. This stanza displays coleridge's purpose, of the need for people to respect and love everything and everyone due to the fact that we are all spawns of god. And if one does anything to deny this would be severely punished with fate and karma. Overall in addition to the periodization of the poem, Coleridge displays this message of fate and karma without respect to love and respect, through extensive the imagery of nature and supernatural beings.
