![]() “I beheld those I loved spend vain sorrow upon the graves of William and Justine, the first hapless victims to my unhallowed arts” (Shelley 79). In Shelley’s piece, which also has this theme, it seems that Frankenstein really never learns this lesson, while the creature does seem to grasp this concept. However, once Coleridge teaches his character the lesson of the inherent beauty in nature, the Mariner learns that all creatures are beautiful. The Mariner refers to the creatures of the sea as “slimy things,” which obviously has a negative connotation. This quote shows The Mariner’s outlook on nature in the beginning of the poem. The very deep did rot: O Christ! That ever this should be! Yes, slimy things did crawl with legs Upon the slimy sea” (Coleridge pt. “Water, water, everywhere, And all the boards did shrink Water, water, everywhere, Nor any drop to drink. ![]() Even his creator looks at him and cannot stand the sight of him. Men look at the creature and automatically think he is the lowest life-form. In the above quote, the creature speaks of how humans hate the wretched, simply because they are wretched. The Mariner’s punishment for shooting down the albatross was living Life-in-Death. Similarly, Coleridge made this statement by using the albatross. She believes that all living creatures have a certain beauty, not matter what. In this quote Shelley is making a statement on the inherent beauty of all living things. “All men hate the wretched how, then, must i be hated, who am miserable beyond all living things! Yet you, my creator detest and spurn me…” (Shelley 88). Frankenstein is constantly battling the creature and torturing himself throughout the novel. ![]() Additionally, they are both living with the knowledge no one else possesses and the hatred towards their respective creatures. Frankenstein wants to die at this point, but he wants to finish what he started. On top of that, he is the reason for the deaths of all his loved ones. Victor’s life is similar to “Nightmare-Life-In-Death” because he really has no one he loves left. However, unlike the mariner, Victor’s new knowledge brings a curse along with it. They both are trying to get their thoughts straight across. In a romantic sense, the mariner and Victor both want knowledge. At this point “Rime of the Ancient Mariner” is referenced because similarly, in this work the person wanders the streets with a demon or fiend following him. “Like one who, on a lonely road, Doth walk in fear and dread, And, having once turned round, walks on, And turns no more his head Because he knows aįrightful fiend Doth close behind him tread”(Shelley, 53). Right after Victor ran away in terror after he saw his creation for the first time, he wanders the streets alone with his conscience. Just like the mariner was given a second chance to redeem himself and rid his sins for killing the albatross, Frankenstein was given another chance to give the creature what he ultimately wanted- another one of his kind. It was in his power to kill whomever he chooses to. This correlates to Frankenstein in a sense that the creature had the ultimate control over the human population. Here Walton is making a blatant reference to “The Rime Of The Ancient Mariner.” He is referring to the part of the story in which the Mariner shoots down the Albatross, which causes his downfall and that of his crew. “I am going to unexplored regions, to “the land of mist and snow ” but i shall kill no albatross, therefore do not be alarmed for my safety, or if i should come back to you as worn and woeful as the “Ancient Mariner?” (pg 16-17 Letter II). Ironically, the entire crew in the poem were killed and the only man who survived was the mariner. This bird decided which crew members were to live and which ones were subject to death. The fate of the crew members in Thje Rime of The Ancient Mariner was in the hands of the albatross. Frankenstein and the mariner play very similar roles, as well as the albatross and the creature. Both pieces of literature are characteristic of the Romantic period and describe vividly nature and the outdoors. Mary Shelley, just as Samuel Coleridge, create very similar settings. The explicit theme in “Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” that love conquers all, is a clue as to how the tragedy that occurs in Frankenstein’s life could have been avoided. As the mariner feels compelled to share his story to one who needs to hear it, so does Victor. Robert Walton in Frankenstein is similar to the Wedding Guest from “Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” with Victor Frankenstein playing the role of the mariner. Shelley alludes to the poem several times. The ancient mariner travels the world, unburdening his soul, telling his story to whomever needs to hear it. Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Frankenstein ComparisonĬoleridge’s “Rime of the Ancient Mariner” tells the story of an ancient mariner who kills an albatross and brings upon himself and his ship’s crew a curse.
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