<P> The Rime of the Ancient Mariner relates the experiences of a sailor who has returned from a long sea voyage . The mariner stops a man who is on the way to a wedding ceremony and begins to narrate a story . The wedding - guest's reaction turns from bemusement to impatience to fear to fascination as the mariner's story progresses, as can be seen in the language style: Coleridge uses narrative techniques such as personification and repetition to create a sense of danger, the supernatural, or serenity, depending on the mood in different parts of the poem . </P> <P> The mariner's tale begins with his ship departing on its journey . Despite initial good fortune, the ship is driven south by a storm and eventually reaches Antarctic waters . An albatross appears and leads them out of the ice jam where they are stuck, but even as the albatross is praised by the ship's crew, the mariner shoots the bird: </P> <P> With my cross-bow, I shot the albatross . </P> <P> The crew is angry with the mariner, believing the albatross brought the south wind that led them out of the Antarctic . However, the sailors change their minds when the weather becomes warmer and the mist disappears: </P>

Characters in the rime of the ancient mariner