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Dramatic Structure: Exposition

Dramatic structure typically follows a five act structure known as Freytag's pyramid. It includes an exposition to introduce characters and setting, a rising action with a series of events building to the climax, a climax or turning point, a falling action as the conflict unravels, and finally a dénouement or resolution where conflicts are resolved. While originally developed for five act plays, this dramatic structure can also be applied to short stories and novels to provide a narrative arc, though it may need modification for modern works.

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431 views2 pages

Dramatic Structure: Exposition

Dramatic structure typically follows a five act structure known as Freytag's pyramid. It includes an exposition to introduce characters and setting, a rising action with a series of events building to the climax, a climax or turning point, a falling action as the conflict unravels, and finally a dénouement or resolution where conflicts are resolved. While originally developed for five act plays, this dramatic structure can also be applied to short stories and novels to provide a narrative arc, though it may need modification for modern works.

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Sercan Değirmenci
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Dramatic Structure

"Freytag's pyramid" symbolizing his theory of dramatic structure

According to Freytag, a drama is divided into five parts, or acts, which some refer to as a
dramatic arc: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and dénouement.

Although Freytag's analysis of dramatic structure is based on five-act plays, it can be applied
(sometimes in a modified manner) to short stories and novels as well, making dramatic structure
a literary element. Nonetheless, the pyramid is not always easy to use, especially in modern
plays.

Exposition

The exposition is the portion of a story that introduces important background information to the
audience; for example, information about the setting, events occurring before the main plot,
characters' backstories, etc. Exposition can be conveyed through dialogues, flashbacks,
character's thoughts, background details, or the narrator telling a back-story.

Rising action

In the rising action, a series of related incidents build toward the point of greatest interest. The
rising action of a story is the series of events that begin immediately after the exposition
(introduction) of the story and builds up to the climax. These events are generally the most
important parts of the story since the entire plot depends on them to set up the climax, and
ultimately the satisfactory resolution of the story itself.

Climax or crisis

The climax is the turning point, which changes the protagonist’s fate. If the story is a comedy,
things will have gone badly for the protagonist up to this point; now, the plot will begin to unfold
in his or her favor, often requiring the protagonist to draw on hidden inner strengths. If the story
is a tragedy, the opposite state of affairs will ensue, with things going from good to bad for the
protagonist, often revealing the protagonist's hidden weaknesses.
Falling action

During the falling action, the conflict between the protagonist and the antagonist unravels, with
the protagonist winning or losing against the antagonist. The falling action may contain a
moment of final suspense, in which the final outcome of the conflict is in doubt.

Dénouement, resolution, revelation or catastrophe

The dénouement comprises events from the end of the falling action to the actual ending scene of
the drama or narrative. Conflicts are resolved, creating normality for the characters and a sense
of catharsis, or release of tension and anxiety, for the reader. Etymologically, the French word
dénouement is derived from the Old French word desnouer, "to untie", from nodus, Latin for
"knot." It is the unraveling or untying of the complexities of a plot.

The comedy ends with a dénouement (a conclusion), in which the protagonist is better off than at
the story's outset. The tragedy ends with a catastrophe, in which the protagonist is worse off than
at the beginning of the narrative. Exemplary of a comic dénouement is the final scene of
Shakespeare’s comedy As You Like It, in which couples marry, an evildoer repents, two
disguised characters are revealed for all to see, and a ruler is restored to power. In Shakespeare's
tragedies, the dénouement is usually the death of one or more characters.

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