Denouement

Denouement is a literary term used to describe a section of the story structure or a narrative arc. It is the last part of a narrative that ends existing conflicts, provides closure or resolution, and ties up loose ends. Authors and playwrights use denouement in their novels and plays when they would prefer a neat, resolved ending.

There are many types of story structures; in Freytag’s Pyramid, for example, the denouement comes after the 'falling action' phase and wraps up the narrative.

The literary term denouement is derived from the French word dénouement. The French meaning of the word dénouement can be translated into English as untying, unravelling or, more literally, outcome. This meaning mirrors denouement's literary meaning, which is a story structure element that concludes or 'unties' the tension created by the climax.

What is less straightforward for those who don’t speak French is how to pronounce this French word without its é.

You can pronounce denouement just like it is said in French, or with a slightly different emphasis.

/deɪˈ nu ː mɒ̃/

Denouement is the formal literary term, but it is synonymous with outcome, conclusion, resolution, or coda. More stage-specific synonyms include finale and last act. An 'epilogue' would be a literary synonym more suitable for novels or plays. The word 'unravelling' is a more abstract synonym related to the original French meaning.

These synonyms are not interchangeable with denouement, but are great for a more comprehensive understanding of its meaning and purpose.

There are several story structures; some of them make use of denouement. Also referred to as narrative structures, examples include Freytag’s Pyramid, the Hero’s Journey, and the Three Act Structure. These are further explained below.

While the final stages of the Hero’s Journey can be said to be a type of denouement, they are not explicitly labelled as such. As Freytags’ Pyramid and the Three Act Structure feature denouement as an explicit phase, we will look at them in more detail.

Named after Gustav Freytag, this five-part story structure is often represented as a triangle with a clear beginning, middle, and end. Here, the denouement ties up any loose ends bought in as part of the earlier phases that built up to the climax. This was a prevalent structure for both plays and novels from the 19th century to modern times, so you will have read many examples of works that follow this form.

Freytag’s original diagram was created for tragedies. The denouement has replaced the original term used by Freytag, which was catastrophe. This is still used today for novels or plays that can be classified as tragedies.

More modern adaptations use denouement, as it covers a wider range of possible endings than 'catastrophe'.

Fig. 1 - Denouement in modern Freytag's Pyramid.

The Three Act Structure also follows a beginning, middle, and end flow. This form dates back to Aristotle in Ancient Greece. Similar in many ways to Freytag's Pyramid, the key difference is the five parts versus the three acts. Many modern forms of media such as films also use a three-act story to determine their narrative arcs.

The Three Act Structure is really simple, with some of the same terminologies as Freytag's Pyramid being used.

Fig. 2 - Denouement in the three-act story structure.

Since the 19th century, works of literature have followed the Freytag Pyramid form. There are some famous examples of denouement in the world of literature, theatre, and drama.

An example of catastrophe in tragedy would be the suicide of Romeo and Juliet (1597). This is a denouement; but, since it is a tragic one, it is more accurate to describe it as a catastrophe.

Another famous example of comedic denouement is the Shakespearean drama, As You Like It (1623). This is a pastoral drama, well known for its complex female character, Rosalind. Let's look at this example in more detail.

The last scene of Act 5, the Epilogue of this Shakespearean comedy, can be considered its denouement. After four acts of rising action, a climax, and some falling action at the start of Act 5, the final scene wraps ups all the loose ends into a pretty happy finale.

Phoebe and Orlando realise that they are in love with people who are not the gender that they thought they were. Various other couples are also in love and a spontaneous group wedding just seems to happen. A whole collective of couples including Orlando and Rosalind, Oliver and Celia, Phoebe and Silvius, and Touchstone and Audrey all get married. The wedding is briefly interrupted with some good news bought by Jacques de Bois.

Duke Frederick, the mortal enemy of Duke Senior, had been waylaid on his way to usurp Duke Senior. A priest had somehow convinced him to join a monastery instead. There would be no battle and everyone could return to court. This leads to more celebrating and dancing until everyone leaves the stage, except for Rosalind.

Earlier in Act 5, scene 4, Rosalind had mentioned that she will:

She does this in the epilogue. To reveal the final mystery that is not a total mystery, Rosalind unmasks herself as a woman, who had been playing the part of a man, Ganymede, who also pretended to be a woman. What is more intriguing is the boy actor playing Rosalind reveals his gender too, when he declares that:

In the end, it is revealed that not only was a boy pretending to be a woman, but the woman was also pretending to be a boy pretending to be a woman. Neat.