The Dénouement is a dramatic element. As Dénouement describes a resolution of the conflict in drama. Meanwhile, the term is also applied to other genera and is also common in the epic. According to Gustav Freytag’s drama of drama, there is a dramatic work of exposition, elevation with an exciting moment, climax with peripetia, falling action with retardation and catastrophe, which in tragedy causes the denouement.
term
The term is derived from French and can be translated with the resolution of a node. According to this, the translation already refers to the basic principle: namely the unraveling (of a dramatic conflict, which was certainly knotted in the course of the action).
In drama there are basically two possibilities. Either we are dealing with a tragedy or with a comedy. In tragedy, the catastrophe is usually associated with the death of the protagonist (hero), where the comedy traditionally extends to the well-known happy ending. These two possible outputs are a form of resolution and can therefore be referred to as denouement.
Dénouement at Gustav Freytag
Gustav Freytag was a German writer who is nowadays known for his work on the technique of the drama of 1863. Freytag divided the drama into five parts, mainly based on ancient works, which is why the theory often does not go up in modern pieces and is often criticized (→ literaturepochen).
According to Freytag, the drama consists of exposition and an arousal with excitement, culminating with peripetia, whereupon the plot falls off and ends in the catastrophe, which ultimately causes the Dénouement. This ultimately leads the audience to the catharsis, which leads to the cleansing of these affects through the experience of lamentation / agitation and horror / shudder.
The exposition introduces the situation, clarifies the context, the place and the time of the action and thus provides the viewer with the necessary basic mood for the ensuing work. Here, too, it is possible to consider and relate events that are in the past and are therefore important for the understanding of the play.
This is followed by the exciting moment which ultimately results in the rising action in drama. This means that the protagonist has the need to act. However, it may also be that the antagonist spins an intrigue or commits an action that forces the protagonist to act. The dramatic conflict, therefore, begins to unfold, the tension gradually increasing.
This conflict is inevitably leading to the climax of the drama, which turns into the peripetia. Peripety means the moment in which the fate of the agent turns. At this point the output (good or bad) of the piece can be seen, which is only delayed in the course of the action.
The end is retarded by the retardation. This is certainly the last straw or the last possibility that the work might yet be different. Even if the viewer knows that this will not happen, the tension can be sustained at precisely this point one last time before the final disaster or solution.
In the last act of classical drama, the catastrophe or solution now stands. In tragedy, this usually accompanies the death of the hero, while the comedy has a solution. Furthermore, all the conflicts and tribulations are solved, which is called denouement.
Note: Gustav Freytag refers to a rule drama consisting of five acts. Each act is assigned one of the above tasks. However, the individual elements may well be present in other files. In any case, this is so if the work has fewer than five acts.