How does the mariner's guilt shape the direction of Coleridge's "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner"? Consider the stages his thoughts go through after he shoots the albatross and whether they follow in logical succession or proceed in a more random manner. In the end, is it his own forgiveness he seeks, or that of someone or something outside of himself?

After shooting the albatross, the Mariner's guilt is tempered by the reactions of his crew mates. At first they condemn his crime, only to change their minds when the weather seems to improve. They then turn on him again when the wind drives them into dangerous waters. After the deaths of the rest of the crew, the Mariner is forced to live with his guilt and the accusation in the dead faces of his crew mates. When he is able to pray again he finds his guilt is lifted a little, but after surviving the voyage he decides to wander the earth as penance, telling the tale of the poem as a confession. His guilt is both insular and part of his realization that all of creation is to be celebrated, while the lengths of his self-loathing are partly dictated by the world around him.