Falling action: definition and examples
Falling action is the stretch of a plot after the climax, where the tension eases and the story works toward its ending.
Falling action is what happens after the big moment. The main conflict has broken open. Now the story deals with the consequences: who survives, what it cost, what changes. It leads into the resolution or denouement. In a novel it is often a few chapters; in a play, a single scene.
The slope after the peak
Picture the classic plot diagram as a hill. Rising action climbs. The climax is the peak. Falling action is the way down, where the reader catches their breath and sees what the climax changed.
Writers disagree about where falling action ends and the denouement begins. Some stories barely have one, cutting from the climax almost straight to the last page. The useful question is not the label but the job: letting the reader absorb what just happened.
Examples
"A glooming peace this morning with it brings;"
Romeo and Juliet, Act 5, Scene 3, William Shakespeare
After the deaths come the discoveries: the Friar's confession, the families at the tomb. The Prince's closing lines turn that aftermath into the ending.
"Take up the bodies."
Hamlet, Act 5, Scene 2, William Shakespeare
The duel is over and the poison has done its work. Fortinbras arrives to clear the stage. The play moves from catastrophe to aftermath.
"The morning after the fire, nobody in the village spoke about the fire. They spoke about the rebuilding. Who would pay for it? Would Tom be allowed back?"
Original
Falling action in miniature. The climax is over. The scene is about consequences, not events.
How much falling action a novel needs
Give the reader enough time to feel the climax land. Resolve the consequences in rough order of importance: the main character's fate first, then the relationships, then the smaller threads.
Keep it short in proportion. If the climax is on page 280 of 300, twenty pages is plenty for most books. Before you write it, ask [Talk to your book](/features/talk-to-your-book) which threads are still open, so nothing important is left hanging and nothing trivial gets a chapter.
Common mistakes
Introducing new problems
Falling action resolves the existing conflict. A fresh complication here reads as a second book starting too late.
Skipping it entirely
Jumping from the climax straight to the last line can leave readers cheated of the aftermath they cared about.
Common questions
- What is the difference between falling action and resolution?
- Falling action is the sequence of events after the climax. The resolution is where those events arrive: the conflict settled. Many teachers treat resolution and denouement as the same stage.
- Does every story need falling action?
- Not a long one. Some genre novels move quickly from climax to ending. Short stories may give it a single paragraph. ---
Related terms
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