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Climax (narrative)
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The climax (from the Greek word “???µa?” (klimax) meaning “staircase” and “ladder”) or turning point of a narrative work is its point of highest tension or drama in which the solution is given.
prose work of fiction, the climax often resembles that of the classical comedy, occurring near the end of the text or performance, after the rising action and before the falling action.
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Encyclopedia
The climax (from the Greek word “???µa?” (klimax) meaning “staircase” and “ladder”) or turning point of a narrative work is its point of highest tension or drama in which the solution is given.
Fiction
In a prose work of fiction, the climax often resembles that of the classical comedy, occurring near the end of the text or performance, after the rising action and before the falling action. It is the moment of greatest danger for the protagonist(s)(good people of the story) and usually consists of a seemingly inevitable prospect of failure, followed by a hard-to-anticipate recovery. For example, if you were on a roller coaster, the highest part of it would be the climax.
A climax includes three elements. The most important element is that the protagonist experiences a change. The main character discovers something about himself or herself, and another unknown character. The last element is revealing the theme itself.
Other uses
While the novel, short story, poetry and drama are the focus of much literary analysis, late 20th century literary criticism also recognizes the important similarities, including the climax, of new genres like the feature film.
Arguably, the punch line of a joke is a good analogue of the climax of other forms of fictional narrative, though the absence of any falling action is an essential variation probably reflecting the nature of humor.
In many non-fictional narrative genres, even though the author lacks the same freedom to control the action and "plot", selection of subject matter, degree of detail, and emphasis permit an author to create similar structures.
The climax of the greek plot line is when everything comes out. All the conflicts are at their worst and usually the battle is near or happening.
There is a climax in almost every story.
Although it's not necessarily true a climax is known in most modern culture for being the final fight between the hero and villain. While this is true in most cases the climax may be more of an epiphany the conflicted main character experiences, especially if the story doesn't have a villain in the first place (e.g. A Brilliant Mind). Also in most modern culture, especially films and video games, the final battle between a hero and villain will take place in a hazardous environment which already has a likely fatal occurrence without them trying to kill each other in the first place. A good example of this is Casino Royale where the protagonist James Bond is fighting several thugs in an all-out brawl which is hazardous enough with each other but to add dramatic effect the building is structurally collapsing and sinking into the Grand Canal. Another example is Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith which takes place on a disabled pylon over a river of molten lava. This is used for dramatic effect more than anything else.
In videogames it will more often than not occur in boss battles and even then normally the game's final boss rather than a regular boss. The final boss fight will normally have severe geographical and weather phonomenon occurring (e.g. a dark sky forms and lightning flashes overhead) as well as operatic (or at the very least urgent-sounding) music.
Anti-Climax
An anti-climax is where something which would appear to be difficult to solve in a plot is solved through something trivial. For example, destroying a heavily guarded facility would require advanced technology, teamwork and weaponry for a climax, but in an anti-climax it may just consist of pushing a red button which says "Emergency Self-Destruct", or even more so, simply filling out an eviction notice and destroying the building.
See also
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