A plot is the sequence of events that make up a story. Aristotle stated in his book The Poetics that plot structure had "a beginning, a middle and an end". It is much more than the telling of events one after another. A plot needs a motivating purpose to drive the story to its resolution, and a connection between these events.
Elements of plot structure
Gustav Freytag (1816 - 1895) was a German dramatist and novelist. He came up with the structure for the way stories are told in ancient Greek and Shakespearean drama. This analysis is known as Freytag's analysis. His analysis consisted of dividing a play into FIVE parts:
1. exposition
2. rising action
3. climax
4. falling action
5. resolution/denouement
These five elements of plot structure can differ slightly, but for the most part you will see the gradual build-up of events, the climax, followed by a resolution. Here's some information on each element and some student examples. The students used the plot structure and explained the elements using their own book.
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