![]() ![]() ![]() When he finally returns a braver Hobbit, he discovers he has the courage to pursue Rosie’s hand. Having been changed by their journey, the protagonist can now resolve this secondary conflict, often cementing their transformation and establishing their new normal.Įxample: Samwise Gamgee is too afraid to ask Rosie Cotton to dance before he leaves the Shire with Frodo. But where Fortinbras and Laertes seek physical retribution, Hamlet crafts a play designed to publicly shame and humiliate his murderous uncle.Ī small secondary conflict introduced early in the story remains largely untouched until after the central conflict concludes. These events force Lizzie to confront her unkind opinion of Darcy’s character.Ī secondary character experiences a dilemma similar to the main character’s journey but strives to resolve the conflict in a different way, a contrast (or “foil”) that highlights the protagonist’s qualities and characteristics.Įxample: Hamlet, Fortinbras, and Laertes all seek to avenge their fathers’ deaths. ![]() Wickham, Darcy determines to find the couple to atone for his past mistakes and prove his affection for Elizabeth. Alternatively, a protagonist’s mistake results in a secondary conflict that complicates their journey.Įxample: When Lydia runs away with Mr. Alternatively, a subplot shows readers the story’s central conflict through the eyes of a secondary character, showcasing two sides of the same story.Įxample: As Frodo and Sam journey to Mordor, the remaining members of the Fellowship experience journeys that lead them to wage war on Sauron, ultimately enabling Frodo and Sam to reach Mount Doom.Ī secondary character’s actions complicate the protagonist’s experience with the story’s central conflict. The protagonist’s relationship with a love interest complicates their journey to resolve the story’s central conflict.Įxample: When Capitol citizens decide that Katniss and Peeta would make a handsome couple, the pair must engage in a false romance to better ensure their survival in The Hunger Games.Ī seemingly unrelated plotline occurs in tandem with the main story until the two collide in exhilarating fashion. Subplots typically revolve around a story’s secondary cast of characters, but events in the main characters’ journeys can also produce integral secondary conflicts. Good subplots aren’t just subordinate storylines they’re secondary conflicts that arise from characters’ actions & reactions as they engage with the story’s central conflict. The most effective subplots are those that exist because they must, because to nix the plotline would be to craft a narrative that feels insincere, half-baked, or unresolved. Like any good story element, subplots should serve a strong narrative purpose. While subplots can make stories longer and more complex, these results should be by-products of effective secondary plotlines rather than one’s reason for writing them. While this definition isn’t incorrect, it also isn’t complete-and this oversimplification can lead writers to use subplots in misguided ways, such as needlessly lengthening or complicating their stories in pursuit of “better” storytelling. Often, subplots are defined as “secondary plotlines in a story”. By the end, these three subplots weave into the main storyline.Subplots are a story element that many writers misunderstand. Another subplot concerns the escape of Merry and Pippin from the Orcs. The main plot concerns the quest of Frodo to go back to the ring, while the secondary plot moves around Legolas and Aragon’s adventures in their pursuit to protect settlements while destroying the Orcs’ armies. Tolkien’s novel The Lord of Ring contains an excellent example of a subplot. ![]() Another subplot involves Pip’s plan to get Abel Magwitch out of the country with the help of Wemmick. One of these subplots is Pip’s acquaintance with Herbert, as he cares more for his friend’s finances than his own. Example #4: Great Expectations (By Charles Dickens)Ĭharles Dickens’ novel Great Expectations is a huge web with a series of subplots. Nevertheless, the events get mixed up, and Regan and Goneril start falling for Edmund, when he becomes the Earl, and Edgar ties the knot with Cordelia. This subplot points toward major events in the plot, such as neither father could differentiate between their faithful and treacherous children. However, the subplot involves the Earl of Gloucester and his sons, Edmund, an illegitimate son, and Edgar, a tricky man.Įdgar is very cunning, tricking his father into thinking his faithful son Edgar is engaging in intrigue against him. William Shakespeare, in his popular play King Lear, describes the main plot: King Lear disowns Cordelia, his faithful and loyal daughter, and divides his entire kingdom between his unfaithful and treacherous daughters, Regan and Goneril. ![]()
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