| Quote #4 'Is it he?' quoth one, 'Is this the man? |
The two voices play a kind of good cop/bad cop routine. The bad cop is like, "Is this the guy who thought the innocent albatross wasn't worth a second thought? Lemme at him!" And the good cop holds him back, saying, "He'll be able to earn forgiveness – as long as he plays ball and does the penance we require. You'll play ball, right, Mariner?" It's Law and Order, Coleridge-style.
| Quote #5 Oh sweeter than the marriage feast, |
The Mariner has abandoned his prideful ways, and now he just wants to be a member of the community and, especially, to pray a lot. The guy loves his prayers. However, does Coleridge divert from traditional Christian doctrine when he suggests that people and animals deserve the same love? Maybe avoiding pride means avoiding species pride, as well.