Below are links to several of the illustrations we viewed in class. You may write extra credit or exam essays about the illustration(s) of your choice. How do aspects of the drawings reflect various themes and features of the poem?
I've tried to preserve the quality of the illustrations; some will download quickly, but others may take up to a minute with a 28.8K modem, 30 seconds with a 56K. Please be patient!
The Mariner Stops the Wedding Guest
Lines 1-16: This illustration
depicts the opening of the frame narrative.
Hear the Mariner's Tale
Lines 17-20: The Wedding Guest hears the Mariner begin
his tale.
Wedding Celebration
Lines 33-40: The bride and groom arrive for the wedding
banquet. Compare the event and setting of this scene from the
frame narrative with the illustration "The Mariner's Isolation"
from the central narrative of the Mariner's voyage. What is the
thematic and structural significance of the frame narrative in
relation to the central narrative?
Hope of Rescue
Lines 55-66: When their ship is caught in the ice
at the South Pole, the sailors hail the arrival of the albatross
as a good omen signifying their approaching freedom. How does
this drawing illustrate the tension the poem creates between
the themes of isolation and communion?
The Mariner's Isolation
Lines 79-96: This illustration depicts the Mariner's
attitude after killing the albatross. Compare and contrast the
drawing with the Wedding Celebration drawing from the frame narrative.
Life-In-Death
Lines 171-202: As the ghost
ship carrying Death and his mate, Life-In-Death, approaches,
the two specters play a game for possession of the sailors' lives.
Death wins the Mariner's shipmates, but Life-In-Death wins the
Mariner.
Punishment
While his companions drop dead around him, the Mariner
remains alive, wearing the albatross around his neck as a symbol
of his guilt. Although he is surrounded, he remains alone.
Redeeming Spirits
Lines 484-513: Realizing he
is not truly alone, the Mariner sees the sea creatures around
him and "blesses them unawares." The act of love causes
the albatross to drop from his neck, and angelic spirits approach
to begin his redemption. Animating the corpses of the crew, the
spirits steer the ship back to the Mariner's home. Compare these
supernatural creatures with the spectres of Death and Life-In-Death.
How do the poem's supernatural beings reflect opposing forces
in the Mariner's own soul?
Penance
Lines
582-590: The Mariner reveals that his on-going penance involves
repeating his tale to selected listeners. In this illustration,
the Mariner is accosting a man to whom he will tell his story.
Why does the Mariner's tale bring horror as well as wisdom to
his listeners? What features of the illustration suggest that
the Mariner's story is one of both terror and redemption?
