Table of ContentsIntroductionMorals in The Age of the Ancient Mariner: SummaryConclusionIntroductionAnna Barbauld may have believed that The Age of the Ancient Mariner had moral, but Coleridge is right when he insists that "the poem had too much." The moral of his ballad is to appreciate all forms of life. To develop this theme, Coleridge uses imagery and symbolism to create an implicit partnership between life in death and the Moon. The goal of their partnership is simple; they both serve to punish the Mariner for his crime. Ultimately, their goal is to teach him a lesson he will never forget. To understand how they achieve this goal, we must first examine how the Moon establishes the premises of the chart. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayThe Moral in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner: SummaryWhen the Moon is first seen, the Albatross is still alive and the Mariner remarks: “While all night, through the fog and white smoke / The moonlight shone.” Even with the mist and fog, the images here are pleasant. Glimmered has a positive connotation that implies beauty, while white is a pure color that often represents innocence. We realize that in this scene, the Mariner and his crew have the blessing of the Moon because they receive the bird hospitably. Although it seems that the Moon is not involved one way or another, it becomes clear that it is when there is a change in the visual language. After the Mariner shoots the Albatross, the pleasant images turn menacing to reveal the Moon's disapproval of the Mariner's actions. Now the Mariner remarks: “The fires of death danced the night; / Water, like a witch's oils, / Burnt green, blue and white” (128-130). Although the Moon is not mentioned directly, it is common knowledge that the Moon usually appears at night and the Mariner must have a light source to see it. It gives deadly fires, which sailors of that era considered a sign of disaster. Instead of glowing, the water burned, a word that uses the image of fire to create a feeling of pain. Additionally, the word oil describes water as greasy and disgusting. The imagery of this scene is crucial because it highlights the differences between when the Albatross was alive and when it was killed. This can also be inferred from the additional information on the side which states: "And the Albatross begins to take revenge." At this point, it is known that the Moon is not happy because the Mariner shot the Albatross, but why she cared about the bird is still unknown. When life in death is introduced, the reason is revealed and the central theme progresses. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner helps implement the cycle of retribution with the killing of the albatross and how he must pay for his actions. The poem itself is a story of revenge, as the ancient sailor spends most of the poem paying for his one, impulsive mistake of killing the Albatross. The spirit world avenges the Albatross' death by wreaking physical and psychological havoc on the former sailor and his shipmates. Even before the sailors die, their punishment is severe; they become delirious from a debilitating state of thirst, their lips turn black in the sun, and they must endure the torment of seeing water all around them while being unable to drink it because of its salinity. Thus hating the assertion that crimes are not important but that it is the criminals who are.