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Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner," written in 1797, has been widely discussed throughout literary history. Although critics have come up with many different interpretations of this poem, one idea that has remained prevalent throughout these discussions is the apparent religious symbolism present throughout this poem. "The Ancient Mariner" contains natural, gothic, and biblical symbolism; however, the religious and natural symbolism, which coincide with one another, play the most important roles in …

…which are associated with the religious symbols, into this poem in order to further emphasize his belief that God is present everywhere in nature, and that one can sent into this state of paradise when this love for God is discovered. By using imagery from the apocalypse and religious symbolism in nature, Coleridge created an incredible poem which expresses how the realization of divine love within oneself has the power to heal pain and suffering.