1. Lines 1-20 What happens in the poem’s opening scene? An old sailor stops a wedding guest and compels him to listen to a story.
2. Lines 1-20 What do the “long grey beard” and “glittering eye” in line 3 suggest about the mariner? The mariner is old, wise, and mysterious.
3. Lines 1-20 Line 13 is a variation of line 9. What does the change in wording stress about the mariner? Is the repetition effective in characterizing the mariner? The change stresses that the mariner holds the guest’s attention simply with his eyes. The repetition is extremely effective in creating a vivid image of the mariner’s character and his influence on others.
4. Lines 63-78 What two good things happen after the albatross appears? After the albatross appears, the helmsman steers the ship through the ice and a good south wind springs up behind the ship.
5. Lines 63-78 Why does the crew welcome the albatross each day and offer it food? The crew welcomes the albatross because they assume it is an omen of good luck and responsible for getting them through the ice.
6. Lines 63-78 On the basis of these lines, what will happen to the albatross? Why? Answers will vary
7. Lines 149-180 What is the mariner’s reaction to the ship? He is very happy to see it.
8. Lines 149-180 Why must the mariner bite his arm and suck the blood? The mariner bites his arm and sucks his blood in order to moisten his throat, which is otherwise too dry for him to speak.
9. Lines 149-180 In what way does Coleridge foreshadow a problem with the distant ship? Is this an effective use of foreshadowing, building suspense in the reader, or not? Explain your opinion. Coleridge uses words such as “strange shape” (line 175), describes the ship blocking out the sun (line 176), and uses an image of prison to describe the approaching ship (line 179). This builds suspense by linking the ship to worrisome images.
10. Lines 224-239 Who is speaking in lines 224–225? Why does the speaker fear the ancient mariner? The Wedding-Guest is speaking. He fears that the mariner has died like the rest of the crew and is now a ghost talking to him.
11. Lines 224-239 What is the mariner’s reaction to being the only survivor of the tragic voyage? As the sole survivor, the mariner feels isolated and agonized.
12. Lines 224-239 Do the interruptions of the frame story make the poem more or less effective? Explain your thoughts. The frame story lends authenticity to the poem or that the Wedding-Guest serves as a surrogate for the reader. Others may say that the frame story interruptions are distracting or that the language of the Wedding-Guest is less powerful than the mariner’s narrative.
13. Lines 282-291 Under what curse does the mariner suffer? The mariner is cursed not to die and to face the continuous gaze of his dead crewmates.
14. Lines 282-291 In what ways do the water-snakes contrast with the mariner’s dead crewmates? The water-snakes are alive and seem beautiful, unlike the crewmates who, though once “so beautiful” (line 236), are now dead and horrify the mariner (lines 259–260).
15. Lines 282-291 Create a general statement about the mariner’s understanding of nature based on your reading of the poem thus far. Prior to this point, the narrator has been oblivious to the beauty of nature or its link to the spiritual. Now he is overwhelmed by the beauty of the water-snakes.
16. Lines 350-366 What forms do the spirits take? The spirits take the forms of the dead crewmen’s bodies.
17. Lines 350-366 What adjectives could describe the spirits’ sounds? Adjectives such as sweet, musical, or birdlike could describe the spirits’ sounds.
18. Lines 350-366 In what way do sound devices help capture the sound and movement of the spirits and the ship they help sail? Explain. The smooth rhythm helps convey the spirits’ pleasant, musical sounds and the ship’s rolling movement. Alliteration such as the s sounds in lines 354–365 and the l sounds in lines 363–364 adds to this musical effect. The devices are effective because they draw readers into the mood of the scene.
19. Lines 464-467 In what ways do the mariner’s emotions on leaving his native land contrast with his emotions on returning? He describes the return with more emotion, as shown by his exclamation in line 464 and his questions in lines 465–467, which suggest that he is afraid to believe his eyes.
20. Lines 464-467 In your opinion, is the contrast of the mariner’s emotions on departure and return effective? Does it capture the mariner’s transformative experience? Explain. The contrast is highly effective. It shows that the mariner is excited and intensely relieved to be home again, a reaction that highlights the transformation he has experienced.
21. Lines 452-559 Where is the mariner? Who is approaching him, and why? The mariner is in the harbor. A pilot is approaching in a small boat to steer the mariner’s ship into port.
22. Lines 452-559 What happens to the mariner and his ship as the pilot’s boat approaches? A loud sound roars, the water in the bay splits, and the ship sinks into the hole. The mariner is swept into the pilot’s boat and survives.
23. Lines 452-559 In what way will the destruction of the ship make arriving home easier for the mariner? In what way might it help tie up loose plot threads and enhance the impact of his ending? If the ship did not sink, the mariner would have to explain the dead crew. The destruction of the ship allows Coleridge to focus on the mariner’s inner state, thus intensifying the emotional impact.
24. Key Idea: Guilt Besides the death of the albatross, what other deaths does the mariner bear guilt for? The mariner bears guilt for the deaths of his fellow crewmembers, who die as part of the punishment for his act.
25. Analyze Lyrical Ballad Ballads often focus on a single event of importance. What is the single most important event in Coleridge’s poem? Why? Students will likely choose killing of the albatross, the event from which most of the tragedy and misery evolves; however, accept all well-supported responses.
26. Reading Narrative Poetry What main internal conflict does the mariner face in this narrative poem? In what way does the theme that the mariner states in lines 610–617 relate to the outcome of this internal conflict? The main internal conflict is the mariner’s struggle with his guilty conscience. It is when he recognizes the importance of loving all God’s creatures that he is able to find absolution, through penance, for the guilt he bears.
27. Key Idea: Guilt The mariner’s view of nature changes as a result of his penance. What does this suggest about the positive power of guilt? The fact that the mariner’s penance changes him suggests that guilt can be instructive and can lead to personal growth.
28. Analyze Lyrical Ballad What purpose does the frame story serve in this narrative poem? The frame story provides a plausible situation in which the mariner can tell the main story. It stresses the compelling nature of the mariner’s narrative, since the Wedding-Guest has somewhere important to be and yet stays to listen to the mariner’s story. It also serves as a foil or contrast to the mariner’s frightful, eerie experiences and his desolate loneliness by highlighting a situation of communal hope and joy in which the mariner cannot participate.
29. Reading Narrative Poetry Why is a strong rhythm especially suited to the setting and basic subject matter of Coleridge’s poem? The poem is about an ocean voyage, and the strong rhythm often helps capture the movement of a ship at sea.
30. Key Idea: Guilt Although the mariner feels guilt about his actions, is he entirely responsible for those actions, or is he in the grip of circumstances beyond his control? Explain. The mariner commits a crime of his own free will in killing the albatross. Others may say that he is influenced by fate or by desperate natural and supernatural circumstances.