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Freytag on Plot
Freytag's pyramid
Main article: Dramatic structure

Gustav Freytag considered plot to be a narrative structure that divides a story into five parts. These parts are: exposition (of the situation); rising action (through conflict); climax (or the turning point); falling action; and denouement.
Exposition

The exposition introduces the main characters of the story. It shows how they relate to one another, their goals and motivations, and their moral character. The audience may have specific and well-focused questions about any of these aspects, and they will eventually get answered. Most importantly,the exposition allows the audience to get to know the main character (protagonist). Similarly, the protagonist gets to know their main goal and what is at stake.


Inciting Incident

The inciting incident is the point of the plot that begins the conflict. It is the event that catalyzes the protagonist to go into motion and to take action. "The Most Dangerous Game," a novel by Richard Connell, demonstrates two examples of inciting incidents.

In the first example, the protagonist went to the rail when he heard gunshots:

"An abrupt sound startled him. Off to the right he heard it, and his ears, expert in such matters, could not be mistaken. Again he heard the sound, and again. Somewhere, off in the blackness, someone had fired a gun three times."

In the second example, the protagonist drops his pipe, and it falls into the ocean:

"Rainsford sprang up and moved quickly to the rail, mystified. He strained his eyes in the direction from which the reports had come, but it was like trying to see through a blanket. He leaped upon the rail and balanced himself there, to get greater elevation; his pipe, striking a rope, was knocked from his mouth. He lunged for it; a short, hoarse cry came from his lips as he realized he had reached too far and had lost his balance. The cry was pinched off short as the blood-warm waters of the Caribbean Sea dosed over his head."
Rising Action

Rising action is the second phase in Freytag's five-phase structure. It starts with a conflict, such as the death of a character. Rising action involves the buildup of events until the climax.

"Conflict" in Freytag's discussion must not be confused with "conflict" in Sir Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch's critical apparatus to categorize plots into types (e.g., man vs. society). The difference is that according to Quiller-Couch's mode of analysis, an entire story can be discussed in terms of conflict. Freytag's definition of conflict refers to the second act in a five-act play, a point of time in which all of the major characters have been introduced, their motives and allegiances have been made clear, and they have begun to struggle against one another.

In this phase, the protagonist understands his or her goal and begins to work toward it. Smaller problems thwart their initial success and their progress is directed primarily against these secondary obstacles. This phase demonstrates how the protagonist overcomes these obstacles.
Conflict

In this phase, two or more people or groups disagree. This disagreement leads to the climax.
Climax

The climax is the turning point or highest point of the story. The protagonist makes the single big decision that defines not only the outcome of the story, but also who they are as a person. Freytag defines the climax as the third of the five dramatic phases which occupies the middle of the story.

At the beginning of this phase, the protagonist finally clears away the preliminary barriers and engages with the adversary. Usually, both the protagonist and the antagonist have a plan to win against the other as they enter this phase. For the first time, the audience sees the pair going against one another in direct or nearly direct conflict.

This struggle results in neither character completely winning or losing. In most cases, each character's plan is both partially successful and partially foiled by their adversary. The central struggle between the two characters in unique in that the protagonist makes a decision which shows their moral quality, and ultimately decides their fate. In a tragedy, the protagonist here makes a "bad" decision or a miscalculation that demonstrates their tragic flaw.

The climax often contains much of the action in a story--for example, a defining battle.
Falling Action

According to Freytag, the "falling action" phase consists of events that lead, in most cases, to a happy ending. Character's actions resolve the problem.

In the beginning of this phase, the villain has the upper hand. It seems that evil will triumph. The protagonist has never been further from accomplishing their goal. For Freytag, this is true both in tragedies and comedies, because both types of plots demonstrate how good wins over evil. The outcome depends on which side the protagonist has put themselves on. This may or may not be immediately clear to the audience.

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Freytag on PlotFreytag's pyramidMain article: Dramatic structureGustav Freytag considered plot to be a narrative structure that divides a story into five parts. These parts are: exposition (of the situation); rising action (through conflict); climax (or the turning point); falling action; and denouement.ExpositionThe exposition introduces the main characters of the story. It shows how they relate to one another, their goals and motivations, and their moral character. The audience may have specific and well-focused questions about any of these aspects, and they will eventually get answered. Most importantly,the exposition allows the audience to get to know the main character (protagonist). Similarly, the protagonist gets to know their main goal and what is at stake.Inciting IncidentThe inciting incident is the point of the plot that begins the conflict. It is the event that catalyzes the protagonist to go into motion and to take action. "The Most Dangerous Game," a novel by Richard Connell, demonstrates two examples of inciting incidents.In the first example, the protagonist went to the rail when he heard gunshots:"An abrupt sound startled him. Off to the right he heard it, and his ears, expert in such matters, could not be mistaken. Again he heard the sound, and again. Somewhere, off in the blackness, someone had fired a gun three times."In the second example, the protagonist drops his pipe, and it falls into the ocean:"Rainsford sprang up and moved quickly to the rail, mystified. He strained his eyes in the direction from which the reports had come, but it was like trying to see through a blanket. He leaped upon the rail and balanced himself there, to get greater elevation; his pipe, striking a rope, was knocked from his mouth. He lunged for it; a short, hoarse cry came from his lips as he realized he had reached too far and had lost his balance. The cry was pinched off short as the blood-warm waters of the Caribbean Sea dosed over his head."Rising ActionRising action is the second phase in Freytag's five-phase structure. It starts with a conflict, such as the death of a character. Rising action involves the buildup of events until the climax."Conflict" in Freytag's discussion must not be confused with "conflict" in Sir Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch's critical apparatus to categorize plots into types (e.g., man vs. society). The difference is that according to Quiller-Couch's mode of analysis, an entire story can be discussed in terms of conflict. Freytag's definition of conflict refers to the second act in a five-act play, a point of time in which all of the major characters have been introduced, their motives and allegiances have been made clear, and they have begun to struggle against one another.In this phase, the protagonist understands his or her goal and begins to work toward it. Smaller problems thwart their initial success and their progress is directed primarily against these secondary obstacles. This phase demonstrates how the protagonist overcomes these obstacles.ConflictIn this phase, two or more people or groups disagree. This disagreement leads to the climax.ClimaxThe climax is the turning point or highest point of the story. The protagonist makes the single big decision that defines not only the outcome of the story, but also who they are as a person. Freytag defines the climax as the third of the five dramatic phases which occupies the middle of the story.At the beginning of this phase, the protagonist finally clears away the preliminary barriers and engages with the adversary. Usually, both the protagonist and the antagonist have a plan to win against the other as they enter this phase. For the first time, the audience sees the pair going against one another in direct or nearly direct conflict.This struggle results in neither character completely winning or losing. In most cases, each character's plan is both partially successful and partially foiled by their adversary. The central struggle between the two characters in unique in that the protagonist makes a decision which shows their moral quality, and ultimately decides their fate. In a tragedy, the protagonist here makes a "bad" decision or a miscalculation that demonstrates their tragic flaw.Klimaks biasanya berisi banyak tindakan dalam sebuah cerita--misalnya, pertempuran yang menentukan.Tindakan jatuhMenurut Freytag, fase "jatuh aksi" terdiri dari peristiwa yang memimpin, dalam kebanyakan kasus, untuk akhir yang bahagia. Tindakan karakter menyelesaikan masalah.Di awal fase ini, penjahat memiliki tangan atas. Tampaknya bahwa kejahatan akan menang. Protagonis pernah jauh dari mencapai tujuan mereka. Untuk Freytag, ini benar baik dalam tragedi dan komedi, karena kedua jenis plot menunjukkan seberapa baik menang atas kejahatan. Hasil tergantung pada sisi mana protagonis telah menempatkan diri pada. Hal ini mungkin atau mungkin tidak segera jelas kepada para penonton.