In four pages this paper analyzes this poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge in terms of its supernatural events and also includes some other critical interpretations as well. Four sources are cited in the bibliography.
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sin and redemption, of the necessity of respecting and living in harmony with all of Gods creatures. But primarily, it is a tale of the mystical, the supernatural. Supernatural events
fill the poem and inform its plot at every stage. The first hint that something supernatural (or unnatural, at least) comes in the first part, as the wedding
guest is described as being "held by his [the Mariners] glittering eye." Clearly, this is intended as more than a menacing or compelling glare; "The Mariner hath his will," we
are told (Coleridge, 2001). This is reinforced by the assertion in the last stanza of the first part that he is plagued by "fiends" (demons), further setting the tone of
the poem and putting the reader on notice that supernatural, demonic things are afoot, a topic that fascinated Coleridge. After all, he is said to have remarked, upon going on
vacation, that he planned to take "Dante and a Dictionary" (Brown, 1998). We quickly get to the meat of the meat of the poem and its supernatural goings-on as the
second part gets underway. The sailors tell him that he has shot the bird "that made the wind to blow," and sure enough, the wind dies and terrible things begin
happening with the sun and waves; a tiny, "bloody" sun arises at noon, and at night the water "burnt green, and blue and white" (Coleridge, 2001). In the third part,
a ghostly ship, sailing "without a wind, without a tide" as his own ship wallows in the doldrums. As it approaches, however, it becomes apparent that it is indeed a
ghost-ship, as the setting sun peers through her ribs. On it s decks, the apparition of a woman, with golden hair, red lips and white skin, casts dice with Death,