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 Explanation of the Seven Plot Types

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Ghislaine Emrys
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Ghislaine Emrys


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PostSubject: Explanation of the Seven Plot Types   Explanation of the Seven Plot Types Icon_minitimeSat Jul 06, 2013 1:27 pm

For easy reference, below is a synopsis of the seven types of plots as postulated by Aristotle. I thought it might be helpful to list not just the names but also the characteristics of the plot types at the beginning of the discussion. I have paraphrased the information from this website:
http://peterreeves.suite101.com/what-are-the-seven-basic-plot-definitions-a58402


The Quest
The Quest story centers on a protagonist who is trying to achieve an all-important and often distant goal. The hero can't rest until the task is finished. Along this journey the hero will encounter problems and forces attempting to stop him from reaching his objective.


Voyage and Return
This plot is similar to the Quest and is based around a journey. Here, the hero travels to another world and then returns. On this trip, the main character learns things that give him a better understanding of himself and the world around him.


Rebirth
With this plot type, the protagonist has frequently come under some dark spell initiated by either himself or by some other force. The hero's escape from his predicament can only occur through the actions of other positive forces. In this plot, the healing power of love can be a liberating force. What is notable about the Rebirth plot is that the main character's imprisonment is the result of something in his own psyche.


Comedy
Aristotle explained that comedy depicts people as worse than they are and tragedy shows people to be better than they are. In the traditional definition of Comedy, the characters are thrown into states of confusion, darkness and bewilderment and the resolution occurs only when those limiting circumstances have been played out to their extremes.


Tragedy
Here, the main character is a person (usually of high status) who goes through a succession of actions and decisions that unintentionally brings about his own undoing. This is supposed to create feelings of pity and fear on the part of the viewer and end in an emotional release.


Overcoming the Monster
In this type of story, the hero has to conquer a dark and evil creature or person or entity that has some sort of evil and/or destructive power over a place or people.


Rags to Riches
In Rags to Riches plots the main character appears to go from nothing to greatness; for example, he becomes very rich and acquires high status. In this plot type, the hero very often obtains quick success which is just as quickly taken away. In order for him to reach to this “rich” state again, the main character frequently must defeat an antagonist of some sort.

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Ghislaine Emrys
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Ghislaine Emrys


Posts : 669
Join date : 2012-04-22
Age : 39
Location : Arizona

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PostSubject: Commenting on episodes   Explanation of the Seven Plot Types Icon_minitimeWed Sep 24, 2014 10:36 am

It occurred to me that since the Chat sessions are currently commenting on episodes by responding to particular questions about them, some people may like to extend the discussions.  Here's the perfect opportunity!  This thread hasn't been active for a while (my apologies) but this seems like a good time to revive it.  While an episode is fresh in your mind and if you so incline, mosey on over here and offer your thoughts about how it fits into the specified plot types described in this thread. This is an interesting way of analyzing an episode!

Each episode has its own thread and I'll create new threads as each episode comes up in Chat.  Thanks to those who have already contributed and I hope to see more of you here!

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This is one of my schemes... ~ Hannibal Heyes

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