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Five Act Story Structure

The inciting incident creates the worst possible consequences for the protagonist in the form of a crisis point. This crisis point embodies the worst fear and forces the protagonist to confront their character flaw. In the second act, the protagonist pursues a short-term solution based on this flaw but another inciting incident forces them to realize change is needed. In the third act and midpoint, the protagonist embraces what they previously feared. They gain knowledge that allows them to overcome obstacles and embrace their new self in the fourth act crisis point. In the fifth act, the protagonist uses this knowledge to defeat the antagonist and overcome their flaws, achieving their goal.

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Jacques Hamman
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73 views2 pages

Five Act Story Structure

The inciting incident creates the worst possible consequences for the protagonist in the form of a crisis point. This crisis point embodies the worst fear and forces the protagonist to confront their character flaw. In the second act, the protagonist pursues a short-term solution based on this flaw but another inciting incident forces them to realize change is needed. In the third act and midpoint, the protagonist embraces what they previously feared. They gain knowledge that allows them to overcome obstacles and embrace their new self in the fourth act crisis point. In the fifth act, the protagonist uses this knowledge to defeat the antagonist and overcome their flaws, achieving their goal.

Uploaded by

Jacques Hamman
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Ingredients of all

Story/Acts/Scenes:

Protagonist

Antagonist Act 1

Inciting Incident

Desire/Journey Act 2

Midpoint Act 3

The Crisis Act 4

The Climax

Resolution (optional) Act 5

Inciting incident and crisis point are directly related to each other, crisis point embodies worst
possible consequence of decision taken when initial dramatic explosion occurred. This decision
brings character face to face with their worst fear: the obstacle that is going to force them to face up
to their underlying flaw.

Q: What are the worst possible consequences to decision made at inciting incident?

Story: Once upon a time something happened.

Structure (tripartite form): 1. Set up (including mini inciting incident).

2. Confrontation (conflict ending in crisis point).

3. (Climax and) Resolution.

First Acts: Has clear and defined purpose, the micro crisis point providing the catalyst for both the
next act and story as a whole. Direct and clear relationship with crisis point of the overall story.

Second Acts: Characters pursue a short term solution to their problem based on their initial
character flaws. Second inciting incident that really changes character. Point that forces protagonist
to realize things can no longer stay the same. Forces our hero to make a choice between old and
new selves.

Third Acts and Midpoints: Midpoint of story and third act. What the character is scared of in the first
half, they now embrace with enthusiasm. The truth of the story, a truth the protagonist must
embrace. The character embraces their new self. Knowledge is gained that can never be lost.

Fourth Acts: Crisis point of fourth act is crisis point of the story. Protagonist confronted with decision
to embrace change and triumph, or reject it and fail. The worst point; the ultimate crisis. It asks
the protagonist: will you revert and die or change and live? Its the death of the old self so that the
new person can live.
Fifth Acts: Protagonist enters last act with one objective: to defeat the antagonist, to overcome their
demons, to win the prize, to get home or to get the girl. Sub-goal of the fifth act is identical to the
main, original, goal of the story. Using the knowledge gained at the midpoint and tested through the
trials of the forth act, they are, against all odds, able to defeat their enemies, overcome their flaws
and in doing so become complete.

Showing and telling: When two opposites are juxtaposed correctly, an explosion occurs, and story
comes alive.

Character and Characterization: We all do similar things, yet everyone does everything in their own
unique manner. Everyone surmounts the same obstacle uniquely and in doing so leaves their
fingerprint behind. The conflict between how we wish to be perceived and what we really feel is the
root of all character. At the heart of us all, and thus all great fictional characters, is conflict. Whether
real or imagined, great characters are consciously or unconsciously at war with themselves. This
conflict between who a character is and who they want to be, is drama.

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