Freytag's Pyramid

Freytag's Pyramid is an illustration of the structure of a play or screenplay. While Aristotle wrote his plays and divided them into three categories (beginning, middle, and end), Freytag broke them down further into five different areas.

Exposition - The exposition is the groundwork for the play. This is where the author of the play gives the reader or watcher all the information needed to comprehend the play. In this section, which is in the beginning, you will learn about different characters and what their beliefs, habits, and opinions are. In this area, you also receive the basic conflict. This is not the major conflict yet -you just receive information about what the conflict will be. In the exposition you also get an idea of what the setting will be for the story. After the exposition, there usually is a major event that happens. This event marks the end of the exposition and the beginning of the rising action.

Rising Action - The rising action is where the main conflict is discovered and is unraveled. Along the course of the rising action, separate minor conflicts may arise, but for the most part, this is where the plot deepens. After a certain time and once the conflict is built up, a turning point occurs that is called the climax.

Climax- The climax occurs when there is a turning point in the conflict. It will mark a major change in the story. If you are dealing with a comedy, the climax tends to be a positive event, as the protagonist has suffered through events during the first half. In tragedies, the conflict is often a negative event, as the conflict has just spilled over and effected the characters. Once the climax has been reached, the tension must decrease in what is called the falling action.

Falling Action - The falling action is the events that follow the climax. They are usually a moment in time where the tension is released. Although you may not know what is going on during the falling action, there may be brief moments of high suspense. These moments may contain the final "battle" with the conflict. During the falling action, the outcome of the conflict is usually always in doubt. Once the falling action has wrapped up, it is onto the denouement or catastrophe.

Denouement or Catastrophe- A denouement is the events that follow the falling action. They usually sum up the rest of the story. They are used to tell that the protagonist ends up doing better than how they were doing during the story. A catastrophe occurs after the falling action to wrap up the story but shows how the characters became worse after the story.

Wikipedia,Dramatic Structure