falling action

American  

[fawl-ing ak-shuhn] / ˈfɔl ɪŋ ˈæk ʃən /

noun

1. the part of a literary plot that occurs after the climax has been reached and the conflict has been resolved.

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Usage

What is falling action? Falling action is what happens near the end of a story after the climax and resolution of the major conflict. The majority of literary and dramatic works (stories, novels, plays, movies) are built on action—characters doing things, typically pursuing things they want. The climax (the most intense part of the story, often a turning point or a conclusion to the conflict) is preceded by rising action and followed by falling action. Simply put, falling action is what the characters are doing after the story’s most dramatic part has happened. You can see falling action in action (see what we did there?) in just about any form of narrative. And being able to identify it and the other structural elements of a story can help you craft compelling stories of your own.

Example Sentences

The final two paragraphs offer falling action following the dramatic climax.

From Textbooks • Dec. 21, 2021

Rather, his illness just seems to emphasize that we’re inside the falling action of the play, the working out of choices and themes that were established months ago.

From New York Times • Oct. 2, 2020

They also follow a pattern: there is the introduction, rising action, a climax, a complication, falling action, and then a conclusion and resolution.

From Salon • Feb. 28, 2019

But despite that brief moment of unity, the structure is more like a rickety Jenga tower than a smooth arc of rising and falling action.

From Slate • Jun. 30, 2018

Antony in a soliloquy shows his determination to avenge Cæsar, and the first scene of the falling action closes with the announcement that Octavius is within seven leagues of Rome.

From The New Hudson Shakespeare: Julius Cæsar by Black, Ebenezer Charlton