Today I felt like watching Pirate of the Caribbean, but instead I opted for a delightful tale of death, despair, and the eternal suffering of penance that every 19th century Christian is subjected to. This is "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner", Coleridge's poem that laid the foundations of Romantic literature. This writing is about the tale of woe of an old man on a doomed ship and bearing his own punishment for which he must account. It has all the clichés: images of nature, the deep sense of history, sin and punishment, allusions to Christianity and much more! Of course, what Coleridge raises and influences most in this genre is the theme of the relationship and interaction between man and nature, in which he tells that natural aspects imply respect for nature, but above all the theme of sin and redemption , the misdeeds of the sailor, and all that penance the sailor must endure to learn this fact. Meanwhile, Coleridge uses metaphorical imagery and stylistic phrasing to shape the world and the mood that changes with each part of the Mariner's journey. An important symbol that stands out the most is the albatross, as the sailor must wear his corpse after his deed, signifying the sin to be borne. It is only when he blesses the creatures of the sea that it falls from his neck, soon blessed by sleep and rain. Of course it represents redemption, which is why a voice during the story comments that there is still penance to be done, referring to the Sailor's endless life of agony. The theme of terror and horror incorporated into the narrative to heighten tension in the face of supernatural events is also noted. Take for example our first sighting of the Life-in-Death figure, who rolls his dice and who the sailor can see as narration. The style in which Coleridge describes these themes in the first place is what helps change the common structure we expect. in today's narratives there is more colloquial language and details that help gain feeling and depth in the story. This way, themes can be developed progressively and revealed instead of standing out all the time; an individualistic perspective that concerns the awareness of the individual. Not only were old tales of woe, ghostly ships, and curses of immortality influenced into expected tropes by Coleridge's tale; not only did Coleridge establish traditional elements of Romanticism involving the sublimity of both man and nature; but Coleridge brought the details closer to the individual with imagined descriptions and a greater attention to the subjective experience upon which the protagonist reflects, which is probably one of the greatest influences this poem has exerted on English literature. I mean, Mary Shelley was a big fan of Coleridge's work, especially "The Rime," so that says something