Booker’s Seven Basic Plots
Part I: The Seven Gateways to the Underworld
Henderson
The basic premise to the basic
plots:
Christopher Booker argues that all
storytelling is woven around basic plots
and archetypes that are inescapable
and help to define the human condition.
We are psychologically programmed to
tell stories in a way that reflects our
most basic physiological needs.
The plots are:
Overcoming the Monster
Rags to Riches
The Quest
Voyage and Return
Comedy
Tragedy
Rebirth
#1: Overcoming the Monster
Overcoming the Monster
Epic of Gilgamesh
James Bond novels and
films
Many tales in Greek
mythology (Perseus,
Theseus)
Dragon slayer stories
Gothic novels:
Frankenstein, Dracula
Overcoming the Monster
Essence of the plot:
A community falls under the shadow of an evil
power (more on this later).
The monster threatens destruction, often has in its
possession a great prize -- treasure or a
“Princess”
The hero, often armed with a magic weapon, must
confront the monster, usually near its lair.
Hero makes a thrilling escape from death, slays
the monster, inherits the prize and the kingdom.
Overcoming the Monster: the
nature of the beast
Alarming in
appearance or
behavior
Horrible, terrible,
grim, misshapen,
hate-filled, ruthless,
menacing, terrifying
Overcoming the Monster: the
nature of the beast
Mortally dangerous
Deadly, bloodthirsty,
ravening, murderous,
venomous,
poisonous
Overcoming the Monster: the
nature of the beast
A deceitful and tricky
opponent
Cunning,
treacherous, vicious,
twisted, slippery,
depraved, vile
Overcoming the Monster: the
nature of the beast
Mysterious, hard to
define
Strange, shapeless,
sinister, weird,
nightmarish, ghastly,
hellish, fiendish,
demonic, dark
Overcoming the Monster: the
nature of the beast
“In other words, in its oddly elusive way,
we see this ‘night creature’, whether it is
a giant or a witch, a dragon or a devil, a
ghost or a Martian,
representing…everything which seems
most inimical, threatening, and
dangerous in human nature, when this
is turned against ourselves.”
Overcoming the Monster: the
nature of the beast
No matter how different from ourselves
the monster may superficially seem, he
will always possess some qualities that
are at least partly human.
However, the monster can never be an
ideal, perfect, whole human being.
Overcoming the Monster:
three roles
Predator: the monster in its “active” role. It
wanders menacingly through the world,
spreading a shadow of fear and destruction.
Holdfast: “passive” role. Sits in or near its lair,
guarding its prize.
Avenger: when its guardianship is challenged,
it lashes out viciously, leaving its lair to exact
revenge.
Overcoming the Monster:
three roles
Note how humanlike the monster’s behavior
is in all three roles. The three roles are
essentially categories of human behavior
when we act on self-seeking impulse.
“Above all, and it is the supreme
characteristic of every monster who has ever
been portrayed in a story, he or she is
egocentric.”
Overcoming the Monster: its
downfall
The hero is the polar opposite of the
monster: acting selflessly and for some
higher cause.
The monster is always limited in its
egocentric “tunnel vision” and has a
blind spot that the hero can exploit.
A fatal flaw in the monster’s awareness
finally brings it down.
Bilbo meets Smaug
A clip from The Hobbit
Overcoming the Monster: plot
outline
The Call: The monster is introduced as a
threat to a community, country, kingdom, or
mankind in general. The hero is called to
confront it.
Dream Stage: The hero makes preparations
for battle; he and the monster are brought
closer together. Things are going reasonably
well, and there is a comfortable remoteness
from danger.
Overcoming the Monster: plot
outline
Frustration Stage: Hero comes face to face
with the monster in all its awesome power.
The hero seems inferior by comparison and
may even fall into the monster’s clutches.
Nightmare Stage: final ordeal begins, a
nightmare battle in which the odds seem
stacked against the hero. But, just when all
seems lost…
Overcoming the Monster: plot
outline
Thrilling Escape from Death/ Death of
the Monster: in a miraculous reversal,
the hero gains the upper hand and
delivers a final fatal blow to the monster.
Its dark power is overthrown. The
community under its shadow is
liberated. The hero wins his prize, his
princess, and/or his kingdom.
Overcoming the Monster:
constriction and release
The plot establishes a sort of internal
rhythm of constriction and release.
“Systole - diastole”
#2: Rags to Riches
Rags to Riches
Legend of King Arthur
Pygmalion/My Fair Lady
The Ugly Duckling
Aladdin
This plot is one of the
earliest we come to
know as children.
Rags to Riches
The plot is rooted in folk tales from
around the world and is regarded as
one of the most basic stories in the
world.
Rags to Riches: the hero or
heroine
We are introduced to the central figure in
childhood, or at least before full maturity. We
know immediately that the story is about the
process of growing up.
The hero or heroine is usually inferior: an
orphan, or the youngest child and
disregarded by family and peers.
They languish in the shadows of a dominant,
antagonistic “dark” figure.
Rags to Riches: the dark
figures
Adult figures: wicked stepmothers,
domineering aunts or uncles, etc. This figure
usually replaces the parent.
Young figures: wicked stepsisters, fratricidal
brothers, scornful ducklings. This figure acts
as a rival to the hero or heroine.
The dark figures are often a combination of
characteristics we see from Overcoming the
Monster.
Rags to Riches: the central
crisis
Early on the story, the inferior hero
experiences some success and is elevated
from his original lowly status.
However, these changes in fortune are
superficial, and soon the hero encounters a
CENTRAL CRISIS in which all seems lost.
(Ex: Jane Eyre’s failed attempt at marriage,
and her subsequent desperate wandering
around the moors.)
Rags to Riches: the central
crisis
It is this central crisis that highlights
some aspect of the hero or heroine’s
immaturity. He or she must grow from
this central crisis in order to attain the
true, complete happy ending.
Rags to Riches: plot outline
Initial wretchedness at home & “the call”: we
are introduced to the hero in his lowly and
unhappy state. The dark figures are the
source of his misery. This phase ends when
something happens to call them out into a
wider world.
Out into the world, initial success: early efforts
are rewarded, and the hero may have some
glimpse of the greater glory he will someday
achieve.
Rags to Riches: plot outline
The central crisis: reduced to a new
powerlessness, this is the worst part of the
story for the hero or heroine.
Independence and the final ordeal: the hero
is discovering in himself a new independent
strength. The hero is put to a final test, in
which a dark rival may stand between the
hero and ultimate fulfillment.
Rags to Riches: plot outline
Final union, completion and fulfillment:
the reward is usually a state of
complete, loving union with the “Prince”
or “Princess”. They may also succeed
to some kind of kingdom. The implied
ending is that “they lived happily ever
after”.
Ever After trailer
#3: The Quest
The Quest
Arthurian/Grail
legends
Dante’s Divine
Comedy
Homer’s Odyssey
The Lord of the
Rings
Indiana Jones
movies
Essence of the plot
Far away, there is a priceless goal,
worth any effort to achieve: a treasure,
a promised land, 30 sliders from White
Castle, something of infinite value. The
hero sets out on a hazardous journey to
attain the goal and overcomes any
number of perilous hindrances in order
to achieve the objective.
The Quest: the call
The quest usually begins on a note of
urgency: it is no longer possible for the
hero to stay “at home” or stationary.
Something has gone disastrously
wrong, or a faraway threat looms. (Ex:
the Aeneid begins with Aeneas fleeing
the sacked and smoldering city of Troy.)
The Quest: the hero’s
companions
A distinctive mark of the Quest is that the
hero is not alone in his adventures.
The companions can be large in number and
“throwaway” extras like Odysseus’ retinue; or
An alter-ego of the hero whose most
oustanding feature is his fidelity (Samwise in
The Lord of the Rings); or
An alter-ego who serves as a foil (Don
Quixote and Sancho Panza, King Lear and
the fool)
The Quest: the journey
The constriction-and-release rhythm emerges
here as the hero and his companions
undergo terrifying ordeals, then experience
periods of respite from helpers along the way.
Often the terrain itself presents a problem to
the company: waste lands, labyrinths, forests,
mountains, etc.
The Quest: four obstacles
Monsters: Polyphemus (Odyssey), harpies
(Aeneid), Shelob (The Lord of the Rings),
Black Knights (Arthurian legend). Threatens
the hero through confrontation.
Temptations: the Odyssey is chock-full of
tempters, from Circe to the Sirens to the
Lotus Eaters. Threatens the hero through
seduction and guile.
The Quest: four obstacles
Temptations pt.2: if the tempter is
subdued, he/she often becomes a
helper for the hero. (Circe in the
Odyssey)
Deadly Opposites: the hero must travel
an exact path between two great
opposing dangers (Scylla and
Charibdys). Lotsa room for allegory
here.
The Quest: four obstacles
The journey to the underworld:
sometimes just a horrifying experience,
but more often a chance for the hero to
contemplate his future, life and death,
actions and consequences, etc. The
hero can consult with others long dead
for guidance on his quest.
The Quest: helpers
“The old man” and
“young woman” are
two benevolent
figures that feature
prominently in Quest
tales (Virgil and
Beatrice in Dante’s
Divine Comedy)
The Quest: final ordeals
The journey in a Quest only makes up
half of the story; when the goal is finally
within sight, the hero must face a final
ordeal or series of ordeals.
It is this final struggle which is
necessary for the hero to lay hold of his
prize and secure it.
The Quest: plot outline
The Call: life in some “City of Destruction” has
become oppressive and intolerable, and the
hero recognizes that the only way to rectify
the situation is to take a long and perilous
journey to achieve some related goal.
The Journey: a systole-diastole series of
ordeals.
The Quest: plot outline
Arrival and frustration: the hero arrives within
sight of his goal, but a singular or series of
terrifying obstacles looms before him.
The final ordeal: time to kick butt in said
obstacles.
The goal: after a last “thrilling escape from
death”, the life-renewing goal is achieved.
“He chose…poorly.”
#4: Voyage and Return
Voyage and Return
Goldilocks and the
Three Bears
Alice in Wonderland
The Time Machine
Robinson Crusoe
Prodigal Son
parable from the
Bible
Gone with the Wind
Voyage and Return: essence
of the plot
The hero or heroine travels out of their
familiar, everyday “normal” surroundings
into another world completely cut off
from the first, where everything seems
abnormal. The early experience might
feel exhilarating, but eventually a
shadow intrudes. By a “thrilling escape”
the hero is returned to his normal world.
Voyage and Return
While this plot is as old as storytelling
itself, it became much more fashionable
in Western literature after the
Renaissance, when voyagers were
traveling to every corner of the globe.
These stories generally fall into two
types: a) the hero is marooned on a
deserted island, or b) the hero visits a
land of some strange people or
civilization
Voyage and Return: variations
As fewer areas of the world were left to be
explored, more authors sent their heroes into
different parts of time or space
A “social” voyage and return features a hero
who finds himself in a different group of
people with whom he would not normally
associate (sample clip on the next page)
The Devil Wears Prada
#5: Comedy
Comedy: a history
Etymology of “comedy”: a banquet, a
jovial festivity, a festal procession
Speculated to have begun in the
villages of ancient Greece
Many of the conventions of the comedy
plot have scarcely changed in 2,000
years
Comedy: a history
“Old Comedy”
The plays of Aristophanes, performed between 425
and 388 BC
At heart of his comedies lay an agon, or conflict,
b/w two characters or two groups of characters
One side is life-giving, the other side life-denying
(freedom vs. oppression)
The losing side (always the meanies) is suddenly
forced to recognize something so important about
themselves that it changes their ways and leads to
reconciliation. (Anagnorisis)
Comedy: a history
“New Comedy”
Emerged with the plays of the Athenian
Menander, and later with Romans Plautus
and Terence
Biggest mutation is that comedy became a
love story
Central characters are a hero and heroine;
the purpose of the confusion or conflict in
the story is to keep the two apart until they
are brought triumphantly together in the
closing scenes
Comedy: a history
More on the “New Comedy” plot:
There are two ways that the lovers are kept
apart until the end…
1. Two lovers passionately desire to get
married, but a selfish and unrelenting father
(the dark figure) prevents them from doing
so.
2. There is quarrel and confusion between
the lovers themselves, based on a
misunderstanding
Comedy: conventions
Always present in comedy, but more explicit
from New Comedy onward, is the device of
mistaken identity. Identities can be confused
through:
Mysterious births and origins
Characters in disguise or deliberately assuming
new identities
Cross-dressing
Characters concealed in exile, or eavesdropping in
closets or nearby rooms
Comedy: conventions
The anagnorisis,
then, often relates to
a physical
recognition of a
character’s true
identity. This is
material to the
greater shift from
life-denying to lifegiving.
Comedy: Shakespeare
Yes, he
revolutionized
comedy so much
that he gets his own
category. Yay for
Bardolatry!
Comedy: Shakespeare
The Renaissance revival of classical
comedies gave Billy Shakes tons of
creative material to tinker with
The Bard wrote 16 comedies -- nearly
half his dramatic output
The key mutation in his comedies was
simply the new richness and complexity
of the plot
Comedy: Shakespeare
The plots go further back in the “history”
of the characters. In New Comedy, the
lovers are already established. In
Shakespeare, the plot is dialed back to
the wooing stage. “Getting the girl”
becomes a central focus of the plot.
The main action then shifts to the
pairing off process itself.
Comedy: Shakespeare
But good ol’ Bill doesn’t always pair his
characters off neatly. His plays feature an
ensemble of potential lovers who often
embroil themselves in a confusing “love
tangle” that propels the conflict forward.
The anagnorisis allows the couples to sift
themselves into their proper places.
Comedy: Shakespeare
“What has happened, in fact, is that the
range of Comedy has been extended,
not just by Shakespeare, but in
Renaissance literature generally, to
include virtually every combination and
permutation possible in the human
experience of love.”
What allows all the
pieces of a comedy
to come together in a
comprehensible plot
is the action of the
“recognition”. Four
processes must
occur for the
anagnorisis -- and
therefore the
comedy as a whole - to be complete.
Comedy: steps of recognition
1.
The dark figures imprisoned in an unloving
state must be softened and liberated by
some act of self-recognition and change of
heart.
2. The identity of one or more characters must
be revealed in a more literal sense.
3. Characters must discover who they are meant
to pair off with.
4. Wherever there is division, separation or loss,
it must be repaired.
Ending to Much Ado About
Nothing
Comedy: movement from dark
to light
DARK
Dark figures
True identities/natures are
hidden or unclear
Lovers are in a state of
uncertainty
Families or communities
are divided or out of
sorts
LIGHT
Dark characters either
change or are exposed
and punished
True identities are
revealed
Each lover is united with
the “other half”
Reunion and restoration
Comedy: above/below the line
Above the line: characters representing the
established order, an upper social level and
hierarchy; authority of men over women,
adults over children
Below the line: servants, people of inferior
class, wives, the rising generation
The chief source of darkness in the story is
on the upper level; the road to liberation lies
on the lower level
The road to resolution lies below the line!
“The essence of comedy is that some
redeeming truth has to be brought out of the
shadows and into the light.”
…so where do the laughs
come from?
Almost uniformly, the aspect of comedy that
elicits laughter from the audience is a
character’s egocentricity, his tunnel-vision, his
inability to see the world as it is.
Christmas Vacation (sorry ‘bout the language,
but it’s part of point.)
Pride and Prejudice
The Hangover
#6: Tragedy
Tragedy (1): Five Stages
Since you should already be familiar with
many of the basic tenets of tragedy, this
section will focus mainly on the genre’s
relationship to comedy (seriously -- you’ll be
surprised by the number of structurally
parallel elements) and archetypal variations.
If you want a refresher on classical definitions
of tragedy, please see the ppt on tragedies in
the English III H section of my website.
Tragedy (1): Five Stages
“We might almost say that, for a story to
resolve in a way which really seems
final and complete, it can only do so in
one of two ways. Either it ends with a
man and a woman united in love. Or it
ends in death.”
Tragedy (1): Five Stages
1. Anticipation Stage: hero is in some way
incomplete or unfulfilled. Some object of
desire or course of action presents itself to
the hero. When the hero succumbs to this
desire or thought, he has found his “focus”:
Macbeth decides to assassinate King
Duncan, Icarus yields to his desire to fly close
to the sun; Dr. Jekyll drinks his potion.
Tragedy (1): Five Stages
2. Dream Stage: hero commits to his focus,
and for awhile everything is peachy. He feels
gratified and seems to be getting away with
his crime or error.
3. Frustration Stage: Things begin to go
wrong. Hero feels restless and insecure,
commits further dark acts to secure or retain
his position and feelings from the Dream
Stage.
Tragedy (1): Five Stages
4. Nightmare Stage: Things are now slipping
completely out of the hero’s control. Forces
of opposition and fate are closing in on him;
hero falls into rage or despair.
5. Destruction or Death Wish: either by the
forces he has aroused against him, or by
some final act of violence which precipitates
his own death, the hero is destroyed.
Tragedy (II): The Divided Self
Unlike the “Call” that
enters early into a
Quest or
Overcoming the
Monster plot, the
focus in tragedy is of
ambiguous value
and is better
identified as a
“Temptation”
Tragedy (II): The Divided Self
As the hero yields to his temptation, we
are intuitively aware of the fact that he is
willing to violate and defy some
prohibition, law, convention, or duty.
Initially a part of the hero is reluctant to
commit to the Temptation, leading to a
“divided self”
Tragedy (II): The Divided Self
It comes back to “light” and “dark” (again). The dark,
shadowy side of the hero is the one initially hidden
from the world, the one which attaches itself to the
Focus/Temptation and then consumes the hero.
“The heroes and heroines of Tragedy are becoming
ensnared by some obsessive desire which springs
ultimately from themselves.”
“They are set more and more at odds with the reality
of the world around them -- until finally it begins to
close in on them, demanding a reckoning.
Tragedy (II): The Divided Self
The very essence of tragedy is that the hero
or heroine becomes separated from society.
They break the bonds of loyalty, family,
friendship, and all the elements required for a
happy ending. The only resolution left is
death.
The tragic hero destroys relationships with a
few key archetypes (notice the parallel with
the Quest)…
Tragedy (II): The Divided Self
The Good Old Man
The Rival or
Shadow
The Innocent Young
Girl
The Temptress
Tragedy (II): The Divided Self
The Good Old Man
Older than the hero
Represents the established authority
Often a kingly or father figure
Duncan, killed by Macbeth; Julius Caesar,
killed by Brutus
Tragedy (II): The Divided Self
The Rival or “Shadow”
A figure who is in some way on the same
level as the hero (age, rank, similar
background)
Becomes the “opposite” of the increasingly
dark hero and is a threat to him/her
Tragedy (II): The Divided Self
The Innocent Young Girl
One of the most poignant of the hero’s
victims
The “good angel” who fails to sway the
hero back to his light self
Othello’s murder of Desdemona is a
dramatic example and illustrates the
correlation of such an event with the
Nightmare Stage
Tragedy (II): The Divided Self
The Temptress
The other feminine figure often present in
tragedies is a “dark” figure herself.
Leads the hero on
Almost invariably dies a violent death,
often adjacent to the hero
Tragedy (II): The Divided Self
The tragic hero as an incomplete,
egocentric figure who meets a lonely
and violent end sure sounds like a
figure from another plot already
discussed. Can you guess which
one?…
Tragedy (III): Hero as Monster
Recall the chief
modes of behavior
for the Monster, and
consider how
accurately they can
be applied to the
tragic hero:
Predator
Holdfast
Avenger
Tragedy (III): Hero as Monster
Some tragedies can end on a note of
solemn rejoicing because the hero/lifedenying monster has been destroyed,
and life can begin to flow again.
“Ultimately the destruction of the dark
hero has been a victory for light.”
#7: Rebirth
Rebirth: synopsis
A hero or heroine falls under a dark spell
which eventually traps them in some wintry
state, akin to living death: physical or spiritual
imprisonment, sleep, sickness or some other
form of enchantment. For a long time they
languish in this frozen condition Then a
miraculous act of redemption takes place,
focused on a particular figure who helps
liberate the hero or heroine from
imprisonment.
Rebirth: Plot points
1. Hero falls under the shadow of a dark
power.
2. Poison takes some time to work up to its
full effect.
3. Total isolation: the darkness emerges in full
force
4. Nightmare stage: odds seem stacked
against a rescue of the hero
5. Reversal/ awakening: imprisoned figure is
freed by the power of love
The Universal Plot
The Universal Plot
The overlap and interrelationships between
the plots are immediately recognizable.
What is really to be gained from this
exploration of seven plots is NOT the
compartmentalizing of stories, but rather the
joining together of all stories into basic
universal elements.
The Universal Plot
The Beginning: a hero is undeveloped,
frustrated, or incomplete. This state sets up
the tensio that drives the plot.
The Middle: The hero falls under the shadow
of a dark power. This power may exist outside
the hero or within the characters themselves.
The End: Through a reversal or unknotting,
the dark power is overthrown.
The Universal Plot
Fundamental movements:
Dark to light
Isolated to integrated, or vice versa
Incomplete to whole
Juvenile to mature
Constriction/release
Ignorance to self-realization
The End! Woohoo!