Part 2 of the 7 part narrative ballad begins through the use of pathetic fallacy-'still hid in mist'- to maintain the tensioned atmosphere that was created at the end of part 1, when the Mariner had 'shot the Albatross'.
With the Albatross gone 'woe' occurs as bad events happen (such as the drought) to show the Mariner had done a 'hellish thing'- by destroying the Albatross which according to superstition, is a sailors good luck omen. The remnants of superstitious belief could therefore highlight the crew still faintly hold societies influence, however the longer the ship is out to sea and sails further away from harbour the crew become more hostile towards the Mariner and commit- what could be seen as- primal actions such as hanging the dead Albatross 'about [the Mariner's] neck'.
In a classical narrative ballad form, each stanza would have four lines in an iambic pentameter rhyme scheme. Alternatively in the third and fourth stanza, this form is altered. This is a effective structural device used by Coleridge to draw the reader's attention to specific lines, such as 'I had killed the bird' which is a key focal point of the story and is therefore emphasised as the main action which carries the story along. Coleridge creates the alteration by disrupting the iambic pentameter rhythm by employing the use of caesura (which is sing punctuation to disrupt the rhyming pace) to highlight the Mariner's actions have caused suffering for 'all averred' (his shipmates). This may highlight Coleridge's purpose of creating a didactic tale which teaches his audience about action and consequence which will ultimately leave them 'sadder and wiser' at the end of the tale-just like the wedding-guest.
Coleridge also uses repetition of the weather-for example 'the breeze to blow' which is mention twice at the end of a rhyming sentence in the third stanza- to emphasise the Albatross' death has caused the harsh weather. It could be viewed that the reason why the lines are repeated is to show the Mariner's guilt for causing 'the breeze to blow' and the 'fog and mist' which is unavoidable as the harsh weather is a constant plight. Yet, in the fourth stanza, the proverb of the weather changes from 'brought' to 'bring'. This may signify the change of responsibility of the weather by his crew mates as they tell the Mariner he was 'right' for shooting the bird after the weather diminished and the 'glorious Sun uprist'. The capitalisation of 'Sun' may signify a religious meaning like God is also spelt with a capital to signify importance, which could connote that God is intervening and trying to help the Mariner and his crew although the Mariner killed one of his creations. Furthermore in the glossary (a later edition by Coleridge) it tells the reader that the crew have 'justi[fied]' the Mariner's sin and therefore they become 'accomplices in the crime', this could structurally foreshadow that something awful will later occur (such as part three when all of the Mariner's crew die) as those who sin will be punished so they can go through the process of repentance and then later redemption.
The fifth and sixth stanza are a contrasting doubling of one another. In the fifth stanza, Coleridge uses alliteration- the 'furrow followed free'- to make a fictive sound to create imagery in the readers head or a ship bursting through the sea heading 'northward' into the 'pacific ocean' until it reaches 'the line'. The line has significance as it not only represents the equator but it could also represent purgatory. If the poem is viewed through a spiritual interpretation, it then explains the strange events such as the 'sails dropt down' due to the 'becalmed...breeze' which results in the ship being stranded in the sea and not being able to move as they are stuck in a liminal state which may be the reason why there is the 'silence of the sea' which could represent the silence of God who cannot be heard in purgatory.
From the ninth to the fifteenth stanza, Coleridge creates a monotonous tension by repeptiting the line 'day after day, day after day' to show a long length of time has passed whilst in stagnation. The iambic pentameter rhythem has been disregarded as the stanza has a lack of fluency creating a monotone effect- this idea is furthered through the image of 'a painted ship upon a painted ocean' which signifies the feeling of an eternal entrappment. And in the tenth stanza, a paradoxical effect is made as the men suffer a drought upon the sea- this may be critised as a harsh punishment as they are surrounded by water 'everywhere' yet there is not a 'drop to drink'. Once again, if this poem is viewed by a spiritual interpretation, the men are in a spiritual dessert that rids them on their sin so they have the chance to be redeemed through reptentance.
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