Comparing The Supernatural Of `` Tam O Shanter And...

Comparing the supernatural In Robert Burn’s â€Å"Tam O’Shanter† and Samuel Coleridge’s â€Å"Ancient Mariner† supernatural forces appear in both poems. These strange elements change the lives of the main characters that do bad things and get punished. One gets punished through his horse and the other is cursed for life. In Robert Burn’s â€Å"Tam O’Shanter† Tam rides out in a storm (on the back of his horse Meg), heading home â€Å"holding fast his gude blue bonnet† (Burns, line83, page 88). As Tam continues to ride he approaches the â€Å"kirk† (Burns, line87,page 88) in order to cross river doon. He is then drawn towards the sound of â€Å"mirth and dancing† (Burns, line104, page 88) and spots strange flashes of light across the street. Tam sees the witches playing foul at the church as they torch it down. Tam’s drunken state is made to realize once again and there is a strong hint as to what effec ts alcohol has â€Å"wi tippeny (ale) we fear na evil† (Burns, line107, page89) and â€Å"wi usquabae (whiskey) we’ll face the devil†(Burns line108, page 89). Tam’s horse Meg is reluctant to ride any further but Tam pushes her and what he sees in the church are full blown witches accompanying the devil playing on the bagpiper. The witches continue their merriment and dancing and start to undress until they were in their â€Å"sarks† (Burns, line150, page89) or underpants. The witches were young but seeing them standing in their underwear didn’t arouse Tam as expressed through the poem humorously, except the young Witch