plot resolution
How it ends
Plot resolution is the part of a story where conflicts are settled and loose ends tied up.
It follows the climax, showing the consequences of the main action and bringing the narrative to a close.
A satisfying resolution answers the questions the story raised: The resolution felt rushed—we never learned what happened to the brother.
- final showdownDecisive concluding confrontation
- denouementStory's final unraveling
- closureSense of emotional resolution
- catharsisPurification through emotional expression
- redemption arcNarrative journey toward atonement
character arc · bittersweetness · foreshadowing · falling action · tying up loose ends · deus ex machina · tragic downfall · tension release · moral lesson · coming full circle · fulfillment · satisfaction · surprise · subplot · relief · story arc · twist ending · disappointment
- peakspeak, summit, mountaintop, mountain peak, pinnacle
- Feel-Goodhappy endings, laughter, optimism, joy, positive emotions
- reconciliation in literatureforgiveness, redemption, healing, closure, atonement
plot resolutionrising action
Plot buildup toward climax
exposition · inciting incident · complication · setup · introduction
plot resolutionclimax
Point of greatest intensity
complication · conflict · crisis point · crisis · dramatic climax
plot resolutioncliffhanger
Suspenseful unresolved ending
open ending · ambiguous ending · loose ends · to be continued · unresolved conflict
plot, resolution, plots, plotted, plotting, plotter, resolve, resolved, resolves