Among the ideas presented in the poems The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and the Stanzas Written in the dejection, near Naples, the theme of isolation is predominant. Although Coleridge's poem departs from Romantic stylistic trends, it illustrates many of the ideas that defined the era, while Shelley uses a more typical Spenserian stanza form, manipulating it to reinforce a sense of isolation throughout. throughout the poem. Both poets explore isolation in different ways throughout their poems – in particular, Shelley uses the theme of "despondency", referenced in the title, to present his feelings of sadness as something he experiences very alone. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get the original essayThe stanzas written in Dejection, near Naples, are written in the first person, once again emphasizing the feeling of isolation of Shelley – he is the only one present in his poem – otherwise there is only nature around him. For example, he begins the poem by describing an idyllic scene by the sea – “The sun is warm, the sky is clear,/The waves dance fast and bright”, and it is only in the second stanza that he presents himself in the poem. . Likewise, much of the Rime of the Ancient Mariner is written in the first person as he tells his story, so we can only get his (the Mariner's) version of events and his feelings of loneliness. Separation from others, hence isolation, is predominant in both poems – Shelley refers to “others” and “them” rather than including himself among his fellows – he seems to see himself as separate because “his cup has been distributed to another extent. . This suggests that he views isolation as something he has no control over – using the passive, "distributed", it is by another hand that his "cut" is different from everyone else's , of those who “call for the pleasure of life”. » is probably due to what he was going through at the time the poem was written: his wife indirectly blamed him for the death of their daughter on September 24, 1818, shortly before their arrival in Naples. Mary's estrangement and poor health while the couple were in Naples made him very depressed – even to the point (as Newman Ivy White writes in her biography of Shelley) that he attempted suicide. We can see that Shelley's sense of isolation probably had a major effect on his mood - this is evident in Stanzas Written in Dejection, near Naples, he expresses this through the first person and relationship - or lack thereof of relationship – with others around him. In contrast, in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Coleridge explores the theme of isolation through the Mariner's physical separation from civilization and others, when his teammates die. At times he is surrounded by them – but their spirits rather than actually being alive, so he is arguably alone for most of the poem. His isolation is perhaps reinforced by the fact that he is essentially the cause of his own loneliness – by shooting the albatross, his teammates suffer for his crime, dying and leaving him with their corpses – "alone on a vast sea ". The repetition of "large" suggests how small the sailor feels compared to the expanse of ocean around his ship, and how now that the souls of his crewmates have "overtaken" him,/like the whistling of [his] crossbow" he feels the immensity of the "vast sea". The reference to the "whistle of [his] crossbow" perhaps suggests how shooting the albatross is constantly on his mind andhow he makes a connection between the deaths of his teammates and the isolation that followed with the shooting of the albatross. This view of isolation is somewhat incongruous with the romantic idea of ​​the latter – the sailor brought about his own isolation by shooting an albatross which did no harm, an innocent creature, perhaps even symbolic of Christ in reason there are strong religious connotations throughout the poem. This contrasts with common Romantic ideas of isolation – that the Romantic poet is destined to be detached from society due to a "higher understanding" above most people, that he has an ability to see beyond the daily routine. life and are more sensitive to nature and religion than everyone else. Coleridge's depiction of isolation in Stanzas Written in Dejection, near Naples more closely resembles the canon of isolation in the Romantic era – bad things have happened to the poet to separate them from society, or they are simply more in peace in nature and far from society. the modern world in which they live. Therefore, we can infer that Shelley perhaps sees isolation as the destiny of the Romantic poet to see the world clearly but miserably, rather than as a choice, and Coleridge, in presenting it in this way, perhaps sees isolation as more than an eternal punishment for a wrong committed. However, although Shelley's poem suggests that he is unhappy in his isolation, it does not portray his loneliness in a negative way – he sees misery and bad luck – "the cup being distributed 'in another measure' as the cause of his isolation, rather than the latter being the cause of his sadness. For example, he describes solitude as “sweet” – “The voice of the city itself is sweet like that of Solitude.” Shelley uses a shift in tone here by using a half rhyme and more syllables in the line to create a sense of discord – in a way that isolates the line, reflecting his feeling that he cannot connect with nature or with others because of his misery. Nevertheless, loneliness is personified and given in a “gentle” voice, suggesting that Shelley may find comfort in it – it may be like a refuge for the “troubled soul” of a romantic poet. This contrasts with The Rime of the Ancient Mariner in that the poet (Coleridge) is not present in the poem at all – he tells the story of the Mariner in ballad form and the wedding guest's response, so we don't get Coleridge's direct point of view at all. . Additionally, this poem was originally published anonymously because Coleridge wanted people to think that it was a traditional story that had been told before, hence the use of archaic language. However, we can get a sense of Coleridge's ideas about isolation, specifically related to religion, through the language and ideas presented in the poem. It is interesting to note that Coleridge came up with the idea of ​​"five stages of prayer" in his journals from 1795 to 1797, which we can interpret the Mariner as passing at different points in the poem. He is only able to pray and achieve "the heavenly delight which follows ardent prayer" (the fourth stage) after having "blessed [the water serpents] without knowing it", going through "repentance and regret” for the death of his crew. friends and “horrible loneliness”. This similarity between the sailor's journey and the 5 stages of prayer suggests solitude as a part of prayer, and therefore a religious experience and driving force behind repentance and regret, and then later the ability to achieve "the self-annihilation” – the soul entering the Holy of Holies’. This expression of loneliness within the framework of religion, or the way we.