Rime Of The Ancient Mariner Ballad Analysis

890 Words4 Pages

The Rime Of The Ancient Mariner is a poem written in the form of a ballad by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Its defining characteristics that are its narrative style. The poem is in the form of a story which encapsulates the ‘icy’ journey of the protagonist, The Ancient Mariner as seen through the eyes of The Wedding Guest whom we could consider a protagonist as well. Its simple language, repetitive stanzas and the fact that it has been told from the third person perspective give it the form of a traditional ballad, even though it has quite some variations as compared to a traditional ballad. Along with that, the thorough emotionality and detailed descriptions present in the ballad give it a lyrical make-up. At the core of it, though, The Rime Of The Ancient Mariner gives us an account of the trials and tribulations faced by the old Mariner and his journey toward spiritual awakening in the form of a lengthy story. Along with that, it also sheds light on the character of the Wedding Guest and his perception of the whole scenario.

Ballads are essentially composed of stanzas with four lines, called a “quatrain”, and an ACBC rhyme scheme which means the second and the fourth lines rhyme. Although, Coleridge has tended to these rules for the most part, this particular ballad does not completely follow the traditional pattern. It seems as if the traditional pattern has been tinged with the artistic form of Romanticism. This is evident in the first verse of Part three wherein instead

Open Document