The Rime of the Ancient Mariner The Supernatural Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Section.Stanza)

Quote #4

"I fear thee, ancient mariner!"
"Be calm, thou wedding-guest!
'Twas not those souls that fled in pain,
Which to their corses came again,
But a troop of spirits blessed. (V.79)

The realms of the supernatural, the spiritual, and the religious blur together in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. Angels belong to the religious sphere, but they seem supernatural when they turn the sailors' bodies into zombies. Also, they are described as good "spirits," in contrast to the angry spirit that lives under the ocean.

Quote #5

'Still as a slave before his lord,
The ocean hath no blast;
His great bright eye most silently
Up to the moon is cast –

If he may know which way to go;
For she guides him smooth or grim.
See, brother, see! how graciously
She looketh down on him.' (VI.94-95)

This quote is taken from the conversation of the two voices in Part VI. The second voice explains that the ocean doesn't really have its own free will; it does whatever the moon wants. And who is the moon? We're not sure, but she might be associated with the Virgin Mary or another religious figure. The moon is personified as a female, as in most classical mythology. She doesn't stay mad forever and is capable of showing pity toward the Mariner.