Write about the ways writers aim to make the beginning of their texts exciting- The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

In the opening there is already conflict in the ballad, between the Mariner and the wedding guest as the Mariner physically and psychically retainers the guest from joining the party. The Mariner ‘holds him  (the wedding guest) with his glittering eye’ this makes the Mariner have a great presence and  seem as if he has power to put the guest into some sort of trance. The wedding guest also listens with intent as the Mariner begins his story – ‘listens like a three years’ child’ even though the guest had been so persistent on joining the wedding.  This concept adds mystery to the character of the Mariner and gives the reader anticipation to what story the Mariner might have to tell as he seems very complex.  Another contrast is that the wedding guest is intimate with the wedding festivities, yet the Mariner is condemned to perpetually relive the story of his past and therefore won’t enjoy the temporal world. This sets the background of the framework narrative to grow into and leaves the reader in curiosity as to how these two paths have crossed.

Within the first few stanzas there are multiple changes of setting - from the wedding to the ship at sea then back to the wedding – this introduces the fast, up-beat pace taking the reader along with it. This is crucial that the temporal world keeps interrupting the narrative of the Mariners tale to bring the reader back to the ‘normality’ of the wedding and the wedding guest, despite the guest being in such an abstract situation. The Mariner sets the scene for his story in such a way that automatically gives it a purpose of being told. ‘The ship was cheer’d, the harbour clear’d/ Merrily did we drop’ gives an eerie impression of an ideal and pleasant setting that may just be the ‘calm before the storm’ in the adventure of the Mariner.  This gives the ballad suspense in the first few stanzas and therefore grips the reader very early on in Part 1.