falling action
After the climax
Falling action is the part of a narrative that follows the climax, where tension decreases and events move toward resolution.
After the story's peak conflict or turning point, the falling action shows consequences unfolding and loose ends being addressed before the conclusion.
The term comes from dramatic structure theory, paired with rising action.
- denouementStory's final unraveling
- subsidingDecreasing in intensity
- conclusionEnd or deduction
- outcomeFinal result of events
- resolutionFormal decision or determination
plot resolution · tying up loose ends · closure · aftermath · de-escalation · cooling off · coming down · unraveling · epilogue · catharsis · narrative arc · story structure · coda · wind-down · wrap-up · plot · final act · conflict
- storytellingstorytelling, story, tale, narrative, narrator
- dramaTV drama, acting, television drama, drama school, playwright
- literary elementsplot, character, setting, theme, narrator
- plotplot, storyline, subplot, climax, narrative
- plot elementsplot, protagonist, antagonist, main plot, subplot
- plot eventsclimax, plot twist, twist, confrontation, battle scene
falling actionrising action
Plot buildup toward climax
rising tension · complication · escalation · intensification · buildup
fall, action, fallen, falling, falls, downfall, waterfall, nightfall, rainfall