The frame story in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner serves as a narrative device to contextualize the main tale told by the Mariner. The poem begins with the Wedding Guest, a man who is on his way to a joyous celebration. In Part I, he tries to escape having to listen to the Mariner's tale:
The wedding-guest here beat his breast,
For he heard the loud bassoon.
The Bride hath pac'd into the Hall,
Red as a rose is she;
Nodding their heads before her goes
The merry Minstralsy.
Here, the Wedding Guest hears the festivities of the wedding and tries to avoid hearing the rest of the Mariner's story. The interruption of the joyful wedding by the Mariner's urgent storytelling sets the stage for the unfolding epic and heightens the contrast between the mundane and the supernatural. This frame story also creates a sense of immediacy and relatability in which to ground the fantastical tale of the Mariner. He tells an unbelievable story, but the Wedding Guest's fascination and investment in his tale justifies the interest of the poem's readers. Thus, the Wedding Guest becomes a stand-in for the audience, drawing them into the narrative with a shared sense of curiosity.
