Freytag's pyramid

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• vwo
• Leerjaar 4

Freytag's Pyramid

Learning about plot structure

Freytag's Pyramid

Exposition and inciting incident

Your story has to start somewhere, and in Freytag’s Pyramid, it starts with the exposition. This part of the story primarily introduces the major fictional elements – the setting, characters, style, etc. In the exposition, the writer’s sole focus is on building the world in which the story’s conflict happens. 

The exposition ends with the “inciting incident” – the event that starts the main conflict of the story.

Rising action

The rising action explores the story’s conflict up until its climax. Often, things “get worse” in this part of the story: someone makes a wrong decision, the antagonist hurts the protagonist, new characters further complicate the plot, etc.

Rising action

For many stories, rising action takes up the most amount of pages. However, while this part of the book explores the story’s conflict and complications, the rising action should investigate much more than just the story’s plot. In rising action, the reader often gains access to key pieces of backstory. As the conflict unfolds, the reader should learn more about the characters’ motives, the world of the story, the themes being explored, and there might be  foreshadow to the climax as well.

Climax

Of course, every part of the story is important, but if there’s one part where you really want to pay attention, it’s the climax. Here, the story’s conflict peaks and we learn the fate of the main characters. A lot of writers enter the climax of their story believing that it needs to be short, fast, and action-packed. While some stories might require this style of climax, there’s no strict formula when it comes to climax writing. Think of the climax as the “turning” point in the story – the central conflict is addressed in a way that cannot be undone.

Climax

Whether the climax is only one scene or several chapters differs per book, but remember that the climax isn’t just the turning point in the story’s plot structure, but also its themes and ideas. This might be the moment for the author to comment on whatever concept is driving their story’s narrative, giving the reader an emotional takeaway.

Falling action

In falling action, the writer explores the aftermath of the climax. Do other conflicts arise as a result? How does the climax comment on the story’s central themes? How do the characters react to the irreversible changes made by the climax?

Falling action

The story’s falling action is often the trickiest part to write. The writer must start to tie up loose ends from the main conflict, explore broader concepts and themes, and push the story towards some form of a resolution while still keeping the focus on the climax and its aftermath. If the rising action pushes the story away from “normal,” the falling action is a return to a “new normal,” though rising and falling action look dramatically different.

Resolution / Denouement

The resolution of the story involves tying up the loose ends of the climax and falling action. Sometimes, this means following the story’s aftermath to a chilling conclusion—the protagonist dies, the antagonist escapes, a fatal mistake has fatal consequences, etc. Other times, the resolution ends on a lighter note. Maybe the protagonist learns from their mistakes, starts a new life, or else forgives and rectifies whatever incited the story’s conflict. Either way, the resolution is used to continue the author's thoughts on the story’s themes, and to give the reader something to think about after the last word is read.

Your own Freytag's pyramid

1. Grab a pen or a pencil and your book.
2. Complete the pyramid to the best of your ability
3. Haven't fully read your book yet? Fill in the pyramid up until the point you've read (and hurry up finishing your book).
4. Write down who the protagonist and antagonist in your book are and what their challenges and beliefs are.
5. Write down what the setting of your book is (where and when and why this is important for the story
6. Finished? Finish reading you book if you haven't already.
7. You may also stick post its in your book to mark pages which you can use during the test