Plot
Literary term · say it PLOT
Plot is the connected sequence of events in a story, including the problems characters face, the choices they make, and what happens as a result. It concerns both what happens and how those events fit together.
How plot takes shape
Actions and consequences
Events form a plot when one action creates the conditions for another. A choice can bring trouble, reveal information, or change a character's goal.
In Macbeth, Macbeth murders Duncan to gain the crown, then orders further killings to protect his position. Those choices deepen the opposition that eventually brings him down.
In Macbeth by William Shakespeare
Turning points
A turning point changes the direction of the plot. Characters may learn something that forces them to rethink their beliefs or actions.
In Pride and Prejudice, Darcy's letter makes Elizabeth reconsider her judgments of both Darcy and Wickham. This discovery changes the course of her relationship with Darcy.
In Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Order of events
A plot can follow events in time order or reveal earlier events later. The order affects what readers know and what they expect.
In Wuthering Heights, Lockwood encounters the troubled household before Nelly tells him about Catherine and Heathcliff's past. Earlier events then help explain the hostility he has witnessed.
In Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
How to spot plot
- Find the problem or desire that sets events in motion.
- Trace how each major choice leads to another event.
- Notice the turning points and what changes by the ending.
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What is the difference between plot and story?
Story usually means the events themselves, while plot means how those events connect and unfold for the reader. The terms often overlap in everyday use. Looking at plot means asking not just what happened, but why one event led to another.
Does every plot follow the same structure?
No, plots do not all follow the same structure. Many build from an opening problem toward a climax and resolution, but others follow loosely connected episodes, move between different periods, or leave the central problem unresolved.
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