Frankenstein 25

• “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 a frightful fiend doth close behind him tread.” (p. 53)

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner was written by the English poet, Samuel Coleridge. The poems tells a story about a mariner, who traveled the seas and shot an albatross, a bird that was thought to guide the ship in the right direction. The crew members are very angry with him, but then believed that the bird was useless anyways. However, the crew members change their mind again and become angry with the mariner. Entering an eerie passage, all the crew members die, except for the mariner, who lived to experience the curse in the eyes of the crew members. Eventually the curse is lifted, the crew members come back to life, and are able to steer the ship back home. Shelley relates Victor's situation to the story of the mariner where he has experienced the curse and its passing, but will never feel completely safe again due to the images he has seen and the guilt he has endured.

(Works Cited)
"Coleridge's Poetry." SparkNotes. Web. 11 Aug. 2009. http://www.sparknotes.com/poetry/coleridge/section1.html.

(Video Credit)
"The Rime of the Ancient Mariner." You Tube. Web. 11 Aug. 2009. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czdCzf-E18g&feature=related