The Wedding Guest And Ancient Mariner: Shared Fate?

In Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, the wedding guest is a young man in his twenties, likely a relative of the groom, on his way to a wedding celebration. The wedding guest is stopped by the Ancient Mariner, who chooses him to hear his tale. Initially, the wedding guest tries to evade the Mariner, but he is unable to resist the Mariner's hypnotic power and is forced to listen to his story. By the end of the poem, the wedding guest has become a sadder and wiser man, suggesting that the Mariner's story has changed him, making him less interested in revelry and more attuned to the spiritual and natural concerns described in the tale. The wedding guest's journey in the poem reflects a transition from youth to maturity, as he moves from joyful innocence to melancholy experience.

The Wedding Guest's initial resistance

In Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner", the Wedding Guest is initially resistant to the Ancient Mariner's attempts to detain him and make him listen to his tale. The Wedding Guest is on his way to a wedding celebration and is eager to join the festivities. He is impatient and resentful of the Mariner's interruption, expressing his desire to continue on his way:

> The Bridegroom’s doors are opened wide,

> And I am next of kin;

> The guests are met, the feast is set:

> May’st hear the merry din.

The Wedding Guest attempts to evade the Mariner, but is unable to do so. The Mariner's intense gaze and skeletal hands inspire fear, and he is compelled to listen to the Mariner's story against his will. The Wedding Guest becomes entranced by the Mariner's hypnotic power and is unable to move away.

Despite his initial resistance, the Wedding Guest becomes captivated by the Mariner's tale and is drawn into a trance-like state. He is described as listening "like a three years' child", unable to break free from the Mariner's hold. The Mariner's story has a profound effect on the Wedding Guest, changing him from a carefree and joyous individual to someone more concerned with spiritual and natural matters.

By the end of the poem, the Wedding Guest has become "a sadder and wiser man". He turns away from the bridegroom's door and chooses to go home instead, indicating that he has undergone a transformation. The experience has left him dazed and contemplative, and he rises the next morning as a changed man, having experienced a journey from youth to maturity.

The Mariner's hypnotic power

The hypnotic power of the Mariner's bright eye is emphasised by phrases such as 'like a three years' child', 'sat on a stone', and 'cannot but hear', which illustrate the complete conquest of the Wedding Guest's attention. The Mariner's eye holds a strange, hypnotic power that subdues the Wedding Guest's will, forcing him to listen to the Mariner's story.

The Mariner himself acknowledges his strange power of speech, recognising the person who needs to hear his tale:

> I pass, like night, from land to land;

> I have strange power of speech;

> That moment that his face I see,

> I know the man that must hear me:

> To him my tale I teach.

The hypnotic power of the Mariner's gaze and the compelling nature of his story transform the Wedding Guest. By the end of the poem, the Wedding Guest has become "a sadder and wiser man", indicating that the Mariner's tale has changed him, making him less interested in revelry and more attuned to the spiritual and natural concerns explored in the story.

The Wedding Guest's fear

The Wedding Guest in Samuel Taylor Coleridge's "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" experiences fear and terror at various points in the poem. Initially, the Wedding Guest is in a hurry to attend a wedding feast and is irritated by the Mariner's interruption. He tries to evade the Mariner and continue on his way to the celebration. However, the Mariner captures his attention with his "glittering eye" and "skinny hand," forcing the Wedding Guest to listen to his tale.

As the Mariner begins his narrative, the Wedding Guest becomes engrossed in the story and is unable to move away. He is described as listening "like a three years' child," indicating the powerful effect of the Mariner's gaze on him. The Wedding Guest's fear is evident as the Mariner recounts his tale. He calls out in terror at the events described by the Mariner, particularly when the Mariner approaches the mention of his sinful act of shooting the Albatross. The Wedding Guest exclaims, "God save thee, ancient Mariner!/From the fiends, that plague thee thus!—/Why look'st thou so?"

The Wedding Guest's transformation

The Wedding Guest in Samuel Taylor Coleridge's "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" undergoes a significant transformation throughout the poem. Initially, the Guest is depicted as a young man in his twenties, eager to attend a wedding celebration and seemingly related to the groom. However, his journey towards the festivities is abruptly halted by the Ancient Mariner, who chooses him to hear his tale.

The Wedding Guest's initial reaction to the Ancient Mariner is one of impatience and resentment. He views the Mariner as an impediment to his plans, and his attention is divided between his desire to continue to the wedding and his growing fascination with the Mariner's story. Despite his attempts to evade the Mariner, the Guest finds himself captivated by the Mariner's intense gaze and skeletal hands, which inspire fear and evoke a trance-like state.

As the poem progresses, the Wedding Guest becomes more engrossed in the Mariner's narrative. He listens with rapt attention, his quiet passivity contrasting sharply with his former impetuosity. The Guest's will is subdued, and he becomes a willing disciple, unable to tear himself away from the Mariner's tale. The Guest's transformation is evident in his reactions to the story, as he calls out in agony when he hears the instruments playing at the wedding celebration and cries out in terror at the events described by the Mariner.

By the end of the poem, the Wedding Guest has undergone a profound change. No longer interested in the joyful mood of the wedding, he turns away from the bridegroom's door and chooses to return home instead. The Guest has become "a sadder and wiser man," indicating that the Mariner's story has deeply affected him, shifting his focus from revelry to spiritual and natural concerns.

The transformation of the Wedding Guest is central to the poem's structure and thematic relevance. The Guest serves as a recording barometer for the reader's own emotional reactions to the story, and his presence reinforces the dramatic element of the narrative. Through the Guest's journey, Coleridge explores the universal themes of suffering, pain, anguish, and the complex nature of human experience.

The Mariner's ability to recognise his listener

The Ancient Mariner in Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem, "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner", possesses an uncanny power to recognise his listener. This ability is evident in the way he detains one of the three wedding guests, who is on his way to a wedding feast, and compels him to listen to his tale.

The Mariner's act of narration is described as mutually beneficial. By sharing his story, the Mariner finds relief from his agony-ridden soul, and the Wedding Guest, through his attentive listening, learns a lesson in patience and compassion.

The Mariner recognises the Wedding Guest as someone who needs to hear his tale, and his hypnotic gaze and skeletal hands inspire fear in the Guest, who is initially resistant. The Guest's impatience and resentment towards the Mariner's interruption gradually transform into passive acceptance and a trance-like state, where he is unable to break free from the Mariner's will.

The Mariner's "glittering eye" and "bright" eye are specifically mentioned as having a powerful and hypnotic effect on the Wedding Guest, subduing his will and drawing him into the story.

The Wedding Guest's attention and fear are further captured by the Mariner's tale, which includes references to supernatural elements and his own sinful act, creating a sense of mystery and intrigue that the Guest cannot resist.

Through the Mariner's recognition of the Wedding Guest as his listener, a fateful relationship is formed, and the Guest undergoes a remarkable transformation, moving from youth to maturity, and from joyful innocence to melancholy experience.

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