The natural world seems to have this power, as well: the sailors are trapped in the "rime" by impenetrable ice until the Albatross sets them free. This symbolizes Death and Life-in-Death's level of power they have so much sway over the natural world and its inhabitants that they can jail the sun itself. Even before the ghost ship comes near enough for the Ancient Mariner to see its crew, it seems to imprison the very sun with its masts. The ship itself is a prison for the sailors when there is no wind to carry it. As we have said, the Ancient Mariner is doomed to be trapped in a state of deathlike life his own immortal body is his prison. Part 3 introduces the theme of imprisonment.
Initially, the Ancient Mariner is relieved to have survived his shipmates, but in retrospect the sound tantalizes him, as it reminds him that his impulsive sin is the reason for his torture. In fact, when the sailors' souls are released, they fly past the Ancient Mariner with the same sound as the arrow he shot at the Albatross.
It yearns to fly out of his body like the two hundred other sailors' souls did. His "glittering eye" suggests more than madness it is also a synecdoche representing his soul, which longs to be released from living death.
His spirit is trapped in his own body, in an excruciating state of limbo - the realm of Life-in-Death. First, he and the sailors are denied the satisfaction of drinking now the Ancient Mariner will be denied the satisfaction of being able to die. As we learn later, the Ancient Mariner is cursed to continually feel the agonizing compulsion to tell his tale to others although telling the tale allows him temporary relief, he may never be free. Because she wins the Ancient Mariner's soul, he is doomed to die only when he has paid his due.perhaps never. Life-in-Death, who takes on the form of an alluring naked woman, represents perpetual temptation. Even those sailors whose souls go to hell seem freer than the Ancient Mariner while their souls fly unencumbered out of their bodies, he is destined to be trapped in his indefinitely - a living hell. Death and Life-in-Death are allegorical figures who become frighteningly real for the sailors, especially the Ancient Mariner, whose soul Life-in-Death "wins", thereby dooming him to a fate worse than death. The ghost ship, however, is separate from the natural world - it sails without wind, and its inhabitants are spirits. Although later in the poem Coleridge reveals that a specific spirit is responsible for their demise, it seems as though the spiritual world as a whole is punishing the men, using the natural world as its weapon: the wind refuses to blow, the ocean churns with dreadful creatures, and the sun's relentless heat chars the men. In Part 3, the poem becomes more fantastical as the spiritual world continues to punish the Ancient Mariner and his fellow sailors. The Ancient Mariner watched each sailor's soul zoom out of his body like the arrow he shot at the Albatross: "And every soul, it passed me by, / Like the whiz of my cross-bow!" Then all two hundred of them dropped dead without a sound. The crescent moon rose above the ship with "one bright star" just inside its bottom rim, and all at once, the sailors turned towards the Ancient Mariner and cursed him with their eyes. She whistled three times just as the last of the sun sank into the ocean night fell in an instant, and the ghost ship sped away, though its crew's whispers could be heard long after it was out of sight.
Ghast ship in virtual sailor 7 skin#
The latter was eerily beautiful, with red lips, golden hair, and skin "as white as leprosy." Death and Life-in-Death were gambling with dice for the Ancient Mariner's soul, and Life-in-Death won. The ship came near enough for the Ancient Mariner to see who manned it: Death, embodied in a naked man, and The Night-mare Life-in-Death, embodied in a naked woman. Suddenly, it crossed the path of the setting sun, and its masts made the sun look as though it was imprisoned, "As if through a dungeon-grate he peered." The Ancient Mariner's initial joy turned to dread as he noticed that the ship was approaching menacingly quickly, and had sails that looked like cobwebs. The Ancient Mariner bit his own arm and sipped the blood so that he could wet his mouth enough to cry out: "A sail! A sail!" Mysteriously, the approaching ship managed to turn its course to them, even though there was still no wind. As it moved closer, the sailors realized it was a ship, but no one could cry out because their throats were dry and their lips badly sunburned.
One day, the Ancient Mariner noticed something approaching from the West. The sailors were trapped in their ship on the windless ocean for some time, and eventually became delirious with thirst.