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In literary and dramatic works, the plot is the primary sequence of events experienced by the protagonist(s)
Protagonist

A protagonist is the main Character of a drama or Narrative. The word "protagonist" derives from the Greek language p??ta????st?? , "one who plays the first part, chief actor." In the theatre of Ancient Greece, three actors played all of the main dramatic roles in a tragedy; the leading role was played by the protagonist, while the othe...
. Aristotle
Aristotle

Aristotle was a Greeks philosopher, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. He wrote on many subjects, including physics, metaphysics, Poetics , theater, music, logic, rhetoric, politics, government, ethics, biology and zoology....
 wrote in Poetics that mythos
Mythos (Aristotle)

Mythos is the term used by Aristotle in his Poetics for the Plot of an Classical Athens tragedy. It is the first of the six elements of tragedy that he gives....
 (plot) is the most important element of storytelling. Thus, a story must have a plausible chain of events for it to evoke the desired emotion
Emotion

An emotion is a mental and physiological state associated with a wide variety of feelings, thoughts, and behavior.Emotions are subjective experiences, or experienced from an individual point of view....
al or art
Art

Art is the process or product of deliberately arranging elements in a way that appeals to the senses or emotions. It encompasses a diverse range of human activities, creations, and modes of expression, including music and literature....
istic response from an audience.

Historian Paul Veyne
Paul Veyne

Paul Veyne, born 13 June 1930 in Aix-en-Provence, is a French archaeologist and historian, and a specialist on Ancient Rome. A former student of the ?cole normale sup?rieure and member of the ?cole fran?aise de Rome, he is now honorary professor at the Coll?ge de France....
 applies the concept of plot when analyzing history, claiming that “the fabric of history” is interconnected facts that form a storyline.

One confusion concerns whether the 'plot' is the sequence of events of a story, or whether it is the story as relayed which may not be told chronologically.






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In literary and dramatic works, the plot is the primary sequence of events experienced by the protagonist(s)
Protagonist

A protagonist is the main Character of a drama or Narrative. The word "protagonist" derives from the Greek language p??ta????st?? , "one who plays the first part, chief actor." In the theatre of Ancient Greece, three actors played all of the main dramatic roles in a tragedy; the leading role was played by the protagonist, while the othe...
. Aristotle
Aristotle

Aristotle was a Greeks philosopher, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. He wrote on many subjects, including physics, metaphysics, Poetics , theater, music, logic, rhetoric, politics, government, ethics, biology and zoology....
 wrote in Poetics that mythos
Mythos (Aristotle)

Mythos is the term used by Aristotle in his Poetics for the Plot of an Classical Athens tragedy. It is the first of the six elements of tragedy that he gives....
 (plot) is the most important element of storytelling. Thus, a story must have a plausible chain of events for it to evoke the desired emotion
Emotion

An emotion is a mental and physiological state associated with a wide variety of feelings, thoughts, and behavior.Emotions are subjective experiences, or experienced from an individual point of view....
al or art
Art

Art is the process or product of deliberately arranging elements in a way that appeals to the senses or emotions. It encompasses a diverse range of human activities, creations, and modes of expression, including music and literature....
istic response from an audience.

Historian Paul Veyne
Paul Veyne

Paul Veyne, born 13 June 1930 in Aix-en-Provence, is a French archaeologist and historian, and a specialist on Ancient Rome. A former student of the ?cole normale sup?rieure and member of the ?cole fran?aise de Rome, he is now honorary professor at the Coll?ge de France....
 applies the concept of plot when analyzing history, claiming that “the fabric of history” is interconnected facts that form a storyline.

One confusion concerns whether the 'plot' is the sequence of events of a story, or whether it is the story as relayed which may not be told chronologically. H.Porter Abbott in 'the Cambridge Introduction to Narrative' suggests plot is too compromised for use in academic discussions and prefers the use of story for the sequence of events of a story, and 'narrative discourse' for the way the narrative is unfolded.

See also

  • Mythos
    Mythos (Aristotle)

    Mythos is the term used by Aristotle in his Poetics for the Plot of an Classical Athens tragedy. It is the first of the six elements of tragedy that he gives....
    , which details Aristotle's concept of plot.
  • Dramatic structure
    Dramatic structure

    Dramatic structure is the plot structure of a dramatic work such as a Play or screenplay. Many scholars have analyzed dramatic structure, beginning with Aristotle in his Poetics ....
  • Subplot
    Subplot

    A subplot, sometimes referred to as a "B story" or a "C story" and so on, is a secondary Plot strand that is auxiliary to the main plot.Subplots may connect to main plots, in either time and place or in thematic significance....
  • Plot device
    Plot device

    A plot device is an element introduced into a narrative solely to advance or resolve the Plot of the story. In the hands of a skilled writer, the reader or viewer will not notice that the device is a construction of the author; it will seem to follow naturally from the setting or characters in the story....
  • Plot hole
    Plot hole

    A plot hole is a gap or inconsistency in a storyline that goes against the flow of logic established by the story's Plot . These include such things as unlikely behaviour or actions of characters, illogical or impossible events, or statements/events that contradict earlier events in the storyline....
  • The Thirty-Six Dramatic Situations
    The Thirty-Six Dramatic Situations

    The Thirty-Six Dramatic Situations is a descriptive list which was created by Georges Polti to categorize every dramatic situation that might occur in a story or performance....
    , which is Georges Polti's
    Georges Polti

    Georges Polti was a France writer from the mid-19th century . He is best-known today for his list of The Thirty-Six Dramatic Situations and for writing Art of Inventing Characters ....
     categorization of every dramatic situation that might occur in a story or performance.


External links

  • This is a simple, easy to grasp explanation of plot.
  • , a guide for constructing plots.
  • from the Tennessee Screenwriting Association