The Rime of the Ancient Mariner - A Tale of Redemption and Consequences
The story unfolds at a wedding, where the Mariner recounts his eerie journey at sea. After shooting an albatross, he faces haunting consequences, leading to a harrowing adventure with sailors, Death, and Life-in-Death. Betrayal, redemption, and the weight of guilt intertwine in this classic tale of the Ancient Mariner's voyage.
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Presentation Transcript
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner Whoosh
CHARACTERS Mariner Sailors Wedding guests Best man Death Life in Death Hermit Rower s boy
WEDDING GUESTS, BEST MAN, THE MARINER Our story begins at a wedding. The guests are mingling with drinks ready to toast the bride and groom. The best man begins his speech, but is interrupted by the groom (the Mariner) saying there was a ship . The best man says not here, not now . The Mariner grabs hold of the best man with his skinny hand who says unhand me grey beard loon but he fixes him with his glittering eye, the best man is stunned, almost hypnotised. The Mariner must tell his story until my ghastly tale is told, this heart within me burns . And so he begins to tell his story
SAILORS SAILORS, MARINER, (ALL CLASS BACKGROUND SOUNDS) The Mariner s story begins on board a ship; he and the sailors on board head for the South Pole (look out, coiling ropes, in the rigging, pulling up the mainsail). (All students could contribute sounds of the storm here). The ship sails well with a good wind, which builds into a storm. The storm calms and they find themselves surrounded by icebergs - ice mast-high came floating by as green as emerald . The ice was here, the ice was there, the ice was all around. (line could be whispered by all). In the sky the Mariner sees a huge bird; an albatross. All the sailors watch as the bird follows the ship for a while, and finally lands on board. For seven days the bird lands on the ship where the crew feed the bird and make friends with it.
MARINER, BEST MAN Back at the wedding, the Mariner stops the story as if remembering something terrible. The best man asks what s wrong? Why do you look so horrified? The Mariner answers with my cross bow I shot the Albatross.
MARINER, SAILORS On the ship all the sailors turn to look at the mariner - he has shot their lucky charm. But then the mist clears and they sail safely out of the icy waters. Perhaps it was good luck to shoot the albatross? As they sail into the pacific sea the wind drops and it gets very hot. Without the wind the ship cannot move, it is becalmed. Day after day, day after day the ship doesn t move. Water becomes scarce and the sailors ration it carefully. Finally their water runs out. water water everywhere nor any a drop to drink . Without water the sailors begin to hallucinate death fires and spirits ..... The sailors turn to look at the Mariner. They pick up the dead albatross and hang it around his neck.
DEATH, LIFE IN DEATH, MARINER So they are onboard the ship; the Mariner with the albatross around his neck, the parched sailors. Looking out to sea they spot in the distance a ship sailing towards them. On the ship they see two terrible figures. Death - like a skeleton the sun shines through her ribs . And Life-in-Death her lips were red, her looks were free / her locks were yellow as gold / her skin was white as leprosy The two figures play a game of dice; they are playing for the souls of the sailors. Each time death rolls the dice she wins one and a sailor drops down dead - each one looking at the Mariner as they drop with a cursed eye. On the last roll of the dice Life-in-Death wins the soul of the Mariner. The Mariner is left alone with two-hundred dead sailors - and a thousand, thousand slimy things lived on and so did I.
MARINER, BEST MAN Back at the wedding, the best man is scared of the mariner. He thinks he is a ghost. Did your soul fly, did you too die? The Mariner replies fear not, this body did not drop .
MARINER, SAILORS The Mariner is all alone with the dead sailors with their cursed eyes open staring for seven days and nights. Then under the water he sees the slimy snakes again, but this time he sees the beauty in them no words can describe their beauty right and is transformed. The albatross falls from his neck and sinks into the sea. Sleep comes. And rain falls.
SAILORS, MARINER When he wakes the sailors are possessed by spirits and begin to sail the ship. The ship begins to move, despite there being no wind. The sailors turn and look at him with their stony eyes, the Mariner looks away. The spirits fill the air with beautiful sounds. The ship sails on moved forward from beneath . They all sleep.
MARINER, SAILORS, ROWERS BOY, HERMIT When he wakes the dead sailors are still sailing the ship, they fix their eyes on the Mariner and begin to move towards him. He cannot look away. The Mariner is excited to see land. The ship drifts into the harbour. Approaching the ship is a boat, on board the boat a rower, the rower s boy and a hermit. The rowing boat goes under the prow of the ship. The ship splits apart and goes down in a whirlpool. The Mariner finds himself onboard the rowing boat and is returned to dry land.
MARINER, HERMIT, WEDDING GUESTS The Mariner is compelled to tell his story to the hermit. He must tell his story over and over again to whoever he meets. He is forced to tell his tale so that he can be free. Back at the wedding, the Mariner tells the wedding guests they will leave him a sadder and wiser lot. The play finishes with a toast.
