Category: Topics in the syllabus
What is a plot?
Plot is a chain of connected events in a story or play. It's a planned and logical series of events having a beginning, middle and end. Generally, there must be a cause-and-effect relationship between the events.
Main parts of the plot
All plots follow a logical organization with a beginning, middle, and end.
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Beginning: The beginning of a story captures the audience’s attention, introduces the characters, setting, and the central conflict.
Middle: In the middle of a plot are events that directly impact what happens next in the story. In other words, they introduce crisis points, obstacles, or various subplots along the way to maintain the audience’s interest.
End: The end of a story brings about conclusion and resolution of the conflict, generally leaving the audience with a sense of satisfaction, value, and deeper understanding.
There is a specific plot structure that most stories follow. In fact, there are six main plot parts: exposition, conflict, rising action, climax, falling action and resolution.
1. Exposition or Introduction
The exposition is the introduction to the story. The characters and setting are introduced. The background information provided by exposition helps connect to the audience to the emotional stakes of the narrative. In Snow White, the queen is obsessed with being beautiful and consumed with jealousy over Snow White’s greater beauty.
2. Conflict
The conflict is the primary problem that drives the plot of the story, often a main goal for the main character to achieve or overcome. The main character must fight against another person or group or against a non-human force such a storm.
3. Rising action
In rising action, the story becomes complicated. The main character is in crisis and there are multiple moments of conflict that escalate and create tension.
4. Climax
The climax is the peak of the action. At this point, the main character confront the big conflict. The most action, drama, change, and excitement occurs here. A choice must be made that will affect the rest of the story.
5. Falling action
In falling action, the conflict that arose as a result of the climax can start being resolved. The story begins to slow down and complications begin to resolve.
6. Denouement or Resolution
The resolution is the end of the story and it brings the story to its happy or tragic ending. The conflict from the climax has been resolved. There is a sense of finality and closure here, making the reader feel that there is nothing more they can learn or gain from the narrative.
Plot of tale "Three little pigs"
Exposition
Three little pigs leave home and build their houses.
Conflict
One day, a hungry wolf comes along.
Rising actions
Climax
The wolf decides to sneak down the chimney to get the pigs.
Falling action
The wolf falls into boiling pot of soup and gets burned.
Resolution
Three little pigs leave home and build their houses.
Conflict
One day, a hungry wolf comes along.
Rising actions
- Wolf comes to the first house of straw and blows it down.
- Wolf destroys the second stick house.
- Wolf goes to the third brick house, huffs, puffs, but can't tear it down.
Climax
The wolf decides to sneak down the chimney to get the pigs.
Falling action
The wolf falls into boiling pot of soup and gets burned.
Resolution
- The wolf is so scared of the three little pigs that he runs off into the forest.
- The three little pigs are never bothered by the wolf again.
- They live happily ever after.
