Among the ideas presented in the poems The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Stanze Written with Dejection, Near Naples, the theme of isolation is prominent. Although Coleridge's poetry departs from Romantic stylistic tendencies, it exemplifies many of the ideas that defined the era, while Shelley uses a more typical Spenserian stanza form, manipulating it to increase a sense of isolation throughout the poem. Both poets explore isolation in different ways in their poems – in particular, Shelley uses the theme of 'dejection', referenced in the title, to present her feelings of sadness as something she experiences in total solitude. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayThe stanzas written in Dejection, near Naples are written in the first person, once again underlining Shelley's feeling of isolation: it is the only one present in his poetry – otherwise there is only nature surrounding 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 only in the second stanza does he introduce himself into the poem. . Likewise, much of The Rime of the Ancient Mariner is written in the first person as he tells his story, so we are only able to get his (the sailor's) version of events and his feelings of loneliness. Separation from others, thus the induction of isolation, is prominent in both poems - Shelley refers to "others" and "them" rather than including himself with his fellow men - he seems to see himself as separate because his "cup was distributed in another measure". This suggests that he sees isolation as something over which he has no control: using the passive, 'distributed', it is for another hand that his 'cup' is different from everyone else's, those who 'call pleasure of life'. This feeling of 'despondency' is probably due to what he was experiencing at the time of writing the poem: his wife indirectly blamed him for their daughter's death on 24 September 1818, shortly before their arrival in Naples. Mary's subsequent estrangement from him and his poor health while the couple were in Naples made him very depressed, to the point that (as Newman Ivy White writes in her biography of Shelley) he attempted to commit suicide. We can see that Shelley's feeling of isolation probably had an important effect on his mood – it is evident in the Stanze Written in Dejection, Near Naples, in which he expresses it through the first person and the relationship – or lack thereof – with his 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 crewmates die. In some places he is surrounded by them - but it is their spirits rather than them who are actually alive, so he is probably alone for most of the poem. His isolation is perhaps accentuated by the fact that he is essentially the cause of his own loneliness - from shooting the albatross, his teammates suffering for his crime, dying and leaving him with their corpses - "alone on a vast sea" . The repetition of “wide” suggests how small the Mariner feels compared to the expanse of ocean around his ship, and how now that the souls of his crewmates have “passed him by, / Like the whistle of [his] crossbow ' feels the enormity of the 'vast sea'. The reference to "the wizard of [his] crossbow" perhaps suggests how shooting the albatross is constantly on his mind and how it creates a connectionbetween the deaths of his teammates and his subsequent isolation with the killing of the albatross. This view of isolation is somewhat incongruous with the romantic idea of ​​the latter: the sailor caused his own isolation by shooting an albatross that was doing no harm, an innocent creature, perhaps even symbolic of Christ because of the strong religious overtones 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, who have the ability to see beyond the daily routine. life and are more sensitive to nature and religion than anyone else. Coleridge's depiction of isolation in the Stanzas written in Dejection, near Naples is more similar to the canon of isolation in the Romantic era: have bad things happened to the poet to divide him from society, or are they simply more at peace in nature and far away from the modern world they live in. Therefore, we can infer that Shelley perhaps sees isolation as the Romantic poet's destiny to see the world clearly but miserably, rather than a choice, and Coleridge, presenting it in this way, perhaps sees isolation as something more than an eternal punishment for an evil committed. However, although Shelley's poem suggests that he is unhappy in his isolation, it does not portray his loneliness negatively – he sees misery and misfortune – "the cup is distributed 'in another measure' as the cause of his isolation, rather than this 'last as the cause of his sadness, for example, he describes solitude as "soft": "The very voice of the city is as soft as that of Solitude." a sense of discordance – in a sense isolating the verse, reflecting his feeling of not being able to connect with nature or others due to his miseryNevertheless, loneliness is personified and given a “soft” voice, suggesting that Shelley might find solace in it: it might be like a refuge for the "tormented soul" of a Romantic poet. This contrasts with The Rime of the Ancient Mariner as the poet (Coleridge) is not present in the poem at all: he tells the story of the sailor below. ballad form and the guest's response to the wedding, so we don't get Coleridge's direct perspective at all. . Furthermore, this poem was originally published anonymously because Coleridge wanted people to think 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 on isolation, particularly in relation to religion, through the language and ideas presented in the poem. Interestingly, Coleridge had the idea of ​​"five stages of prayer" in his journals from 1795 to 1797, which we can interpret the Mariner as going through various points in the poem. He is able to pray and achieve "the heavenly pleasure that follows ardent prayer" (the fourth stage) only after having "blessed [the water serpents] unaware", gone through the "repentance and regret" of his crew's death. companions and the 'horrible loneliness'. This similarity between the sailor's journey and the 5 stages of prayer suggests solitude as part of prayer, and therefore a religious experience and a driving force behind repentance and remorse, then subsequently the ability to achieve self-annihilation – the soul entering the Holy of Holies. This expression of solitude as part of religion, or how we understand religion, means that Coleridge may be suggesting that to truly connect with God through prayer it is necessary.