Something about Samuel Taylor Coleridge - HERE
Did you know that S.T. Coleridge...?
* was a son of vicar who died when he was 8
* enlisted in the 15th Light Dragoons to avoid college debts but was bought out later by a brother under the 'insanity' clause
* fell in love with Sarah Hutchinson but was rejected by her
* was vain and enjoyed looking at himself in mirrors
* was an excellent classicist and translated various German works
* was addicted to opium
* suffered from rheumatism and headaches
* died of heart failure aged 61
(Source: Private Lives)
STUDY QUESTIONS - THE RIME OF THE ANCIENT MARINER
1. Briefly summarize the plot.
2. Define the narration (there are two narrative perspectives).
3. Characterize the Mariner’s personality. What is the reader’s perception of him?
4. Define the setting (again, there are two different frames).
5. Why did the Mariner kill the Albatross and what are the consequences of his actions? Is there any explanation provided in the poem? What does the bird symbolize to mariners?
6. What is the crew’s reaction to Mariner’s action?
7. What supernatural elements / characters appear in the story?
8. How does the setting react to the unfolding of the story?
9. What does the act of rolling dice to determine fate mean?
10. Try to interpret the symbolical meaning of the following:
Albatross
Water / sea / rain
Snakes
Wedding
Hermit
voyage
Mariner bearing the dead albatross around his neck
11. How many parts does the poem have? Do you see any symbolical meaning in it?
12. What is the prevailing mood of the poem?
13. Try to generalize the poem’s subject matters. Are they universal?
14. Compare the reference to the Mariner’s eye at the beginning and the end of the poem? Does the change signify something?
15. Formulate the theme of the poem.
