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As indicated by the poem’s title, the Mariner is the protagonist of “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.” Although he is technically a character within the poem, most of the poem consists of his first-person account of a harrowing sea voyage he experienced in his youth. He is thus the nested narrator of the poem’s story within a story. The Mariner is a mysterious figure who appears out of nowhere and compels the Wedding-Guest to listen to his tale. With his “glittering eye” (lines 3 and 13) and his “strange power of speech” (587), the Mariner casts a spell over the Wedding-Guest, sending him into a hypnosis-like trance. He then proceeds to tell an outlandish story full of supernatural phenomena. Despite the many occult elements of the story, he frames it as a moral allegory of his own sin and repentance. Indeed, he claims that his need to tell his story to the Wedding-Guest relates to a continuing need for confession and absolution. But it’s difficult to determine if the Mariner is telling a true story, or if he’s spinning a completely fabricated yarn. His ominous presence and wild tale compel us readers to question the veracity of his narrative.

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