PLOTSHow Many Basic Plots ?

1 PLOT

T

he ancient Greek

philosopher Aristotle

said:

"

A whole is what has a

beginning and middle and

end"

1 PLOT

a

ll plots stem from conflict

t

he basic elements of plot revolve around a

problem dealt with in sequence: "Exposition -

Rising Action - Climax - Falling Action -

Denouement".

EXPOSITION

the part of a play or work of

fiction in which the background

to the main conflict is introduced.

DENOUEMENT

d

enouement |ˌdānoōˈmä n |noun

t

he final part of a play, movie, or narrative in which the strands of

the plot are drawn together and matters are explained or

resolved.

t

he climax of a chain of events, usually when something is

decided or made clear : I waited by the eighteenth green to see

the denouement.

Plot Structure

Plot is the literary element that describes the structure of a story. It shows the causal arrangement of events and actions within a story.

Freytag’s Pyramid

Freytag’s Pyramid uses a five-part system to describe a story’s plot.

This graphic organizer matches the way stories are constructed: The climax is the high point, and it’s surrounded by rising and falling action.

Modified Freytag Pyramid

Freytag’s Pyramid is often modified so that it extends slightly before and after the primary rising and falling action.

You might think of this part of the chart as similar to the warm-up and cool-down for the story.

Exposition: The start of the story. The way things are before the action starts.

Rising Action: the series of conflicts and crisis in the story that lead to the climax.

Climax: The turning point. The most intense moment (either mentally or in action.

Falling Action: all of the action which follows the Climax.

Resolution: The conclusion, the tying together of all of the threads.

Plot Structure Components

7 PLOTS

1

.[wo]man vs. nature

2

.[wo]man vs. [wo]man

3

.[wo]man vs. the environment

4

.[wo]man vs. machines/technology

5

.[wo]man vs. the supernatural

6

.[wo]man vs. self

7

.[wo]man vs. god/religion

1.Quest

2.Adventure

3.Pursuit

4.Rescue

5.Escape

6.Revenge

7.The Riddle

8.Rivalry

9.Underdog

10.Temptation

20 PLOTS

11.Metamorphosis

12.Transformation

13.Maturation

14.Love

15.Forbidden Love

16.Sacrifice

17.Discovery

18.Wretched Excess

19.Ascension

20.Descension.

MACGUFFINI

n fiction, a MacGuffin is a plot Device in the form of some goal, desired

object, or other motivator that the protagonist (and sometimes the

antagonist) is willing to do and sacrifice almost anything to pursue,

often with little or no narrative explanation as to why it is considered so

desirable. A MacGuffin, therefore, functions merely as "a plot element

that catches the viewers' attention or drives the plot of a work of

fiction". In fact, the specific nature of the MacGuffin may be ambiguous,

undefined, generic, left open to interpretation or otherwise completely

unimportant to the plot. Common examples are money, victory, glory,

survival, a source of power, a potential threat, a mysterious but highly

desired item or object, or simply something that is entirely unexplained.

MACGUFFIN

T

he quintessential

MacGuffin is The Maltese

Falcon. It gets the

characters together, pits

them against each other,

but turns out to be

worthless.

O

THEME

a

theme is the central topic,

subject, or concept the author is

trying to point out.

OBJECT

A

n object that is used to

represent the theme.

LORD OF THE RINGS

W

hat is the object?

W

hat is the theme?”

W

ho has the object?

W

ho wants the object?

W

hat are the obstacles?

What is the object?What is the theme?Who has the object?What are the obstacles?

A

Case: • James Bond Movies• No Country for Old

Men• Pulp Fiction• Ronin

OBJECTS USED IN FILMS

T

he Piano

T

he Soloist

T

he Legend of 1900

T

he Red Violin

MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS

T

he Last Action Hero: a magic

movie ticket

H

arry Potter series

W

izard of OZ: The Ruby Slippers

MAGIC OBJECT