Denouement
The term denouement ( French , [ denumɑ̃ ], actually "dissolution (of a knot), settlement," to nœud "knot") in theater studies describes the solution of the basic conflict in a drama . The term is also applied to other genres of literature, especially the novel .
According to Gustav Freytag's theory of drama, the catastrophe of the tragedy that occurs in the fifth act causes the dissolution - following exposure , complication (involvement), peripetia and the retarding moment . The denouement leads to catharsis , which is usually associated with the death of the hero. In comedy , it leads to a happy ending , traditionally one or more marriages or the recognition of two or more people.
literature
- Gustav Freytag: The technique of drama [1863]. New edition, edit. by Manfred Plinke. Authors' house publishing house, Berlin 2003, ISBN 3-932909-57-7 .