Five-act model
IRIS Wiki - Narrative Theories - Five-act model
Authors
Gustav Freytag
Histo-geographical placement
Europe (Germany), 1863
Type of story
Play, film
Parent Theories
Child Theories
Three-Act Paradigm (Syd Field), and many other screenwriting methods.
Brief Description
This general view for dramatic structures focuses on Gustav Freytag's analysis of ancient Greek and Shakespearean drama. Freytag divides a drama in five parts or acts:
1.Exposition
2.Rising action
3.Climax (or turning point)
4.Falling action
5.resolution
Freytag's Pyramid:
1. Exposition
The exposition introduces the main characters, describes the context and shows the basic conflict. The exposition ends with the incident moment, without which there would be no story.
2.The rising action
During the rising action the protagonist follows their dramatic need and encounters the basic conflict. Secondary conflicts and various obstacles may disturb their goal.
3. Climax (turning point)
The third act marks a change, for the better or the worse, in the evolution of the story. It iss some kind of a decision-point, a point of no return.
4. Falling action
After the climax, the conflict between the protagonist and the antagonist unravels, with the protagonist winning or losing.
5. Dénoument (or catastrophe or resolution)
A classical drama ends with a kind of a conclusion. The protagonist has changed – they are better off or worse off (tragedy) than at the beginning.
Relation with Interactive Storytelling
See the Three-Act Paradigm.
Systems/Tools using this theory
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Links
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dramatic_structure
References
- Freytag, G. (1863). Die Technik des Dramas, S. Hirzel.
