Understanding the Plot Progression: From Exposition to Resolution

1. The Plot Progression From beginning to end

2. The plot map

3. Where do we begin? • The preliminary situation is the explanation of events that occurred before the play begins • In olden times, it was covered in the very first scene, called the Prologue • Today, it can come at any time at the start of the play

4. Lighting the fuse • The initial incident is the first important event of the plot. • It sets the rest of the play in motion, and makes the audience wonder what will happen next.

5. Climbing the mountain • After the initial incident, there are a series of events that contribute to the rising action of the play. • Nearly all of the characters are introduced, as are any goals or obstacles in the play • A series of situations increases the level of interest as the play progresses.

6. Top of the world, ma! • The turning point of the action, where the dramatic tension is the greatest, is called the climax • The outcome of the play’s chief conflict is determined during this climax of the play • The arc of action from the preliminary situation to the climax is also referred to as the complication

7. Going… down? • Following the climax, there is a series of significant events called the falling action • The falling action is much shorter than the rising action, and wraps up any plot points that may not have been taken care of in the climax

8. Finish him! • The logical outcome of the play is known as the conclusion • The conclusion determines the ultimate success or failure, happiness or sorrow of the characters in the play

9. Unravelling • The arc of the play from the climax to the conclusion is known as the resolution • It is also referred to as the denouement, which is French for “the unravelling”