The Rime of Ancient Mariner

In The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, both of the Sun and the Moon have their own agenda, and their presences have significant meaning to the narrative because they conduct the whole story.

In Part 2, Coleridge describes the Sun as "God's own head" and "the glorious Sun purist" (p416, line 97-98) which affirms that the Sun is not simply a nature object in tracking time for the poem, it represents God. After the Mariner killed the albatross, the Sun changed dramatically. In p417, line 111-114 "All in a hot and copper sky, the bloody Sun, at noon, right up above the mast did stand, no bigger than the Moon." Here, the Sun starts to punish the Mariner by scorching the crew and stopping the ship in the silent sea. The words "bloody" and "glorious" have formed a strong contrast which reveals the power and vengeful God. The crew then put the dead albatross on the Mariner's neck in yearning for forgiveness and it may symbolize the crucifixion of Jesus since the Mariner has to bear his own penance for killing the albatross that " it were a Christian Soul" (p414, line 63). Later on, the Sun brings the skeleton of a ship to the crew, "as if through a dungeon-grate he peered with broad and burning face." (p418, line 179-180) here indicates that the Sun punishes the crew by bringing the Death and Life-In-Death to them.

In part three and four the moon scarcely shows any sympathy on the crew and the Mariner, instead it is indifferent in seeing what has happen to the crew. However, when the Mariner starts to pray and understand his own penance, the moon starts to show its benevolent and forgiving to the Mariner. The curse breaks and the Mariner frees from the dead albatross. Also, wind and rain do come, and the dead men start to stand up and work. The Mariner believes that " ' Twas not those souls that fled in pain, which to their corses came again, but a troop of spirits blest." He believes that he is blessed by a blessed troop of angelic spirits. Under the moonlight, the Mariner does see a "seraph-man", he affirms that " he'll shrieve my soul, he'll wash away the albatross's blood." (p422, line 510-513) Since the Mariner finally knows how to pray and expiates his penance, he can return home by moonlights.

The sun and the moon respectively represent different sides of God. After the Mariner has killed the albatross, the sun