Poetic Inspiration in Kubla Khan and Rime of the Ancient...

Poetic Inspiration in Kubla Khan and Rime of the Ancient Mariner An examination of the characters that Coleridge presents in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Kubla Khan and the situations in which they find themselves reveals interesting aspects of Coleridges own character that are both similar to and different from the characters named in the titles of these poems. In particular, an examination of these characters with an eye toward Coleridges conception of poetic inspiration and success can be fruitful. In Kubla Khan, Coleridge depicts a powerful character who did ... a stately pleasure dome decree (Kubla Khan lines 1-2). The fact that Kubla Khan is able merely to decree a pleasure-dome and know that†¦show more content†¦Above the ground, the Khans pleasure-dome is situated in a landscape which also includes gardens bright with sinuous rills and many an incense-bearing tree - both images which, along with the pleasure-dome, call to mind sensuality and languor (8, 9). That is, the lower landscape of primal force and dynamic action is covered and concealed by a surface landscape of beauty and permanence. This dichotomy suggests a psychological interpretation of the landscape as a whole: the sensual surface-covering may represent the conscious and rational mind, while the subterranean landscape may represent the unconscious, irrational mind of drives and instincts. The powerful Khan, then, can be seen as a figure who has a connection with both landscapes, and his creation, the dome, floats midway on the waves between the two worlds: it protrudes into the surface world of the conscious mind, but its roots extend deep beneath the surface; it is a sunny pleasure-dome that has caverns below it that extend so far underground that they becomes caves of ice (32, 36). The other object that exists in both poetic landscapes is the fountain that flung up momently the sacred river (24). The fountain is located in the chasm that represents the subconscious, but it tosses the sacred river, Alph, up into the sunny landscape symbolic of the conscious and rational world. The fountain is of particular interest because of the two classes of things that itShow MoreRelatedPortends of Ill-Gotten Plans in Coleridges Kubla Khan and Rime of the Ancient Mariner2525 Words   |  10 PagesRomantic Movement. Among two of his most well-known poetic works are Kubla Khan and The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. Kubla Khans notoriety is partly due to the fact that the poem was written while Coleridge was under the influence of opium. The drugs influence on Coleridge is apparent in the poems style, which not only gives insight into Coleridges state of mind, but also gives the poem an overall dreamlike quality. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner is also said to have been written while ColeridgeRead More Why is most of Coleridge’s best writing unfinished? 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