FREYTAG’S

PYRAMID
Swaraj Dhanda
ABOUT
FREYTAG

Gustav Freytag, The genius behind the Freytag’s

pyramid’s creation.

He was the most respected and popular German

author and critic for almost two decades.

From 1867 to 1870, he represented the national liberal

in the north German Reichstang, and he served at the
headquarters of the 3rd army in the Franco-German
war until the battle of Sedan (1870)

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 IDEA BEHIND FREYTAG’S PYRAMID

Just like life, some stories are difficult to understand. Whether you are reading a
novel or watching a play or film, there are times when you have to apply certain
methods to better understand what you are reading or watching. Gustav Freytag, a
German novelist and critic of the nineteenth century, observed the similarity of plots
so he created a pictorial tool to visually illustrate dramatic structure. Called Freytag’s
Pyramid, he constructed a pattern in the form of a pyramid to analyze the plot
structure of dramas.

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 Your story has to start somewhere, and in Freytag’s Pyramid, it starts with the
exposition. This part of the story primarily introduces the major fictional
elements – the setting, characters, style, etc. In the exposition, the writer’s sole
EXPOSITION focus is on building the world in which the story’s conflict happens.

Your exposition should end with the “inciting incident” –  the event that starts
the main conflict of the story.

RISING ACTION The rising action explores the story’s conflict up until its climax. Often, things
“get worse” in this part of the story: someone makes a wrong decision, the
antagonist hurts the protagonist, new characters further complicate the plot,
etc.

CLIMAX   Every part of your story is important, but if there’s one part where you really
want to stick the landing, it’s the climax. Here, the story’s conflict peaks and
we learn the fate of the main characters. A lot of writers enter the climax of
their story believing that it needs to be short, fast, and action-packed.

FALLING
ACTION, In falling action, the writer explores the aftermath of the climax. Do other conflicts arise as a result? How does the
climax comment on the story’s central themes? How do the characters react to the irreversible changes made by the
RESOLUTION climax? 
The resolution of the story involves tying up the loose ends of the climax and falling action. Sometimes, this means
following the story’s aftermath to a chilling conclusion—the protagonist dies, the antagonist escapes, a fatal mistake
has fatal consequences, etc. Other times, the resolution ends on a lighter note. Maybe the protagonist learns from
their mistakes, starts a new life, or else forgives and rectifies whatever incited the story’s conflict.

S TA G E S
OF
F R E Y TA G ’ S P Y R A M I D

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 When?
Gustav Freytag originally formulated Freytag's Pyramid in 1863 book Freytag's Technique of the
Drama, and over the last more than 150 years, it has become one of the most commonly taught
dramatic structures in the world

Where?
Freytag’s Pyramid was described in the book Freytag's Technique of the Drama, and over the last
more than 150 years, it has become one of the most commonly taught dramatic structures in the world

Why?
The purpose of Freytag’s Pyramid is that it gives authors and the
audience a better and easier way to analyse and create theatre plays

FREYTAG’S
PYRAMID

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THANK YOU