Britannica
Sources used in this answer
How does the mariner’s killing of the albatross affect him in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner?
Created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Samuel Taylor Coleridge, detail of an oil painting by Washington Allston, 1814; in the National Portrait Gallery, London.
In Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s poem, the mariner’s decision to kill the albatross—a creature viewed as a favorable omen—is a transgression against the "life principle" that binds all living things in a joyful communion. This act brings a curse upon his ship, leading to severe physical and mental torment.12
The consequences of his crime include:
- Social and Physical Burden: His shipmates vilify him and hang the dead bird around his neck as a symbol of his guilt, coining the metaphorical use of "albatross" to describe an encumbering burden.13
- Environmental Distortion: The mariner’s perception of the world shifts; the sun appears "bloody," and the sea and its creatures are perceived as corrupt and slimy.2
- Isolation: The mariner suffers the deaths of his fellow sailors, leaving him alone and becalmed in a state of existential "hell" characterized by a total disconnection from life.12
His eventual redemption begins only when he experiences a spontaneous outpouring of love for nature, which allows him to reconnect with the universe's inner unity.2