Romanticism in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

The Supernatural Element

Romantic poets like Coleridge gave more importance to describing the supernatural world than realistic descriptions of everyday life. These supernatural elements are evident in Coleridge's descriptions of the supernatural and mystical experiences of the ancient Mariner in the 'skeleton' ship, 'Life-in-Death', 'seraph bands' etc. 

Love of Nature

Romantic poets were lovers of nature and delighted in describing the glories of nature. A common theme in Romantic works is the power of the natural world which is frequently displayed in TROTAM when the Mariner and/or the crew are at the mercy of the power of nature (the weather) in:

'And now the storm-blast came, and he

Was tyrannous and strong:

He struck with his o'ertaking wings,

And chased us south along'

The Mariner is definitely in awe of nature (a key characteristic of Romanticism) most especially when he finds comfort in his new found beauty and appreciation of God's creations in Part IV when he is feeling terrified and alone;

'But where the ship's huge shadow lay,
The charméd water burnt away
A still and awful red.'

Poetic form

Coleridge's quatrain with rhymes a b c b in most parts of the poem with variation in the number of lines in some stanzas and also the rhyme scheme connects to Romanticism and differs from the neo classical age using only one verse form;

'Day after day, day after day,

We stuck, nor breath nor motion;

As idle as a painted ship

Upon a painted ocean

Water, water, every where

And all the boards did shrink,

Water, water, every where

Nor any drop to drink.'

In contrast to,

'The helmsman steered, the ship moved on:

Yet never a breeze up blew;

The mariners all 'gan work the ropes,

Where they were wont to do;

They raised their limbs like lifeless tools-

We were a gastly crew.'