*Elements of a Plot
( Novels, short stories, plays, movies, poetry, etc….)
Miss Amorin
English
•Elements of a Plot include:
• Exposition
• Exciting Force
• Rising Action
• Climax
• Falling Action
• Resolution/ Catastophe
• *Exposition= background info.
• Romeo and Juliet by W. Shakespeare- Exposition:
• There are conflicts between two families from different social
statures; the Montagues (Romeo) and the Capulets (Juliet). In the
beginning of the play, the protagonist, Romeo, feels lust for
Rosaline.
• Protagonists= Romeo and Juliet
• Antagonists= Montague & Capulet families, society, & social
status
• Setting= Verona, and Mantua, Italy
• Time Period= Elizabethan, late 16th century
Exposition Example
• Setting=
• Time Period=
• Protagonist=
• Antagonist=
• Main conflict=
Exposition for __________
• *Exciting force=
• Moment that follows the introduction of a
drama and initiates the rising action; it
consists of a resolution on the part of the
protagonist or the primary antagonist to
accomplish some major goal.
Exciting Force
• *Exciting Force- “Excites” the audience
• First point of interest for audience.
• Goal intended exposed
• Very beginning of the rising action
• Romeo and Juliet example of the Exciting Force:
• Romeo meets Juliet at the Capulet house (party).
They fall in love.
Exciting Force Example
• What “excites” the audience?
• Goal?? =
Exciting Force for _______
Rising Action
• *Rising action- the conflict of the story becomes more
complicated by other secondary actions in the plot or by the
antagonist/s.
• Example- Romeo and Juliet by: W. Shakespeare
• Rising Action:
• Romeo needs to secretly marry <3 Juliet fearing
that a Montague and a Capulet would never be
allowed to marry.
Rising Action Example
• Conflict?
• What complicates the story line?
Rising Action for _______
Climax
• *Climax- most intense part of story line. Plot usually
takes a turn for the worse for the protagonist at this
point.
• Romeo and Juliet example of climax:
• Tybalt kills Mercutio, then Romeo kills Tybalt.
• The Prince arrives and orders that Romeo be banashed from
Verona.
• Romeo cannot be with his love, Juliet.
Climax Example
• Most intense part of the plot=
(turn for the worse)
Climax for _________
• During the Falling Action, the conflict between
the protagonist and the antagonist unravels
with the protagonist winning or losing against
the antagonist.
• A moment of final suspense is usually involved
in relation to the final outcome of the conflict.
Falling Action
• *Falling Actions
• Romeo and Juliet example of falling action.
• Paris will soon be married to Juliet (as forced by her
family).
• The Capulets do not know about her secret marriage to
Romeo.
• Juliet decided to fake her death with a potion the Friar gives
her.
• Romeo is informed that Juliet is dead when she is really
sleeping from the potion.
• Romeo arrives at the Capulet burial vault ready to kill
himself for love.
Falling Action Example
• Point when conflict unravels=
• Moment of final suspense
Falling Action for ________
Resolution/ Catastrophe
*Resolution/catastrophe=
“unkotting” of the conflict; end result; lesson
• Romeo and Juliet example of Resolution:
• Romeo drinks the poison and dies.
• Juliet wakes up, finds Romeo dead, and kills herself
with a dagger.
• Both families agree to stop the hatred after the
tragedy.
Resolution/ Catastrophe example
• End result=
• Lesson=
Resolution for ________
Plot structure of a story REVIEW*