Skip to main content
← Back to All Structures
⛰️

Freytag's Pyramid

Five-act dramatic structure: Exposition, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action, Denouement.

Documenting sources for workshops? Drop your structure notes into CiteFast so references stay organized while you analyze each beat here.

Structure Diagram

1Exposition2Rising Action3Climax4Falling Action5DenouementIncitingIncidentTurning PointFinalSuspenseLow TensionHigh TensionResolution

How It Works

Freytag analyzed Greek and Shakespearean drama to identify this structure. Exposition introduces the world, Rising Action builds tension through complications, Climax is the turning point, Falling Action shows consequences, and Denouement provides resolution.

Famous Examples

  • 📖Romeo and Juliet: Meet, fall in love, tragic deaths, families reconcile
  • 📖The Great Gatsby: Meet Gatsby, pursue Daisy, confrontation, death, reflection
  • 📖Macbeth: Witches prophesy, Macbeth kills king, guilt consumes him, defeated, order restored

See It In Action

Generate a 250-word flash fiction story using this structure.

💡 Tips for Using This Structure

  • •The climax should occur roughly in the middle, not at the very end
  • •Falling Action is not anticlimax—it still has momentum
  • •Modern stories often compress or skip extended denouement