Climax

THE PLAYWRITING SEMINARS > STRUCTURE > SHAPE > DIAGRAM > CLIMAX >

'The climax is that point beyond which everything is extraneous . . .. Now, this can be violent physical action, or it can be someone turning silently away.'

-- Edward Albee

This is what you've been heading for since the Point of Attack back in Act I. And odds are you've sensed what it would be since the middle of Act II -- that peak of conflict and tension. Conflict so intense, it has to snap. And at that moment of snapping, one or more of your central characters has their lives altered in some meaningful way.

It doesn't matter if you're writing a farce or a serious epic, the Climax results from the same force and produces the same impact.

The best thing to do with a Climax, is get out of its way. No joke. By this point in the play, all of the forces of conflict and tension you triggered with the Inciting Incident have been steadily narrowing your options -- and your characters' options -- until the Climax is the only door left for you. Or them.

Because of the high pitch of Conflict at this point, it's not uncommon for some kind of physical action to mark the Climax. You'd expect that with a murder mystery Suspense Plot like Charles Fuller's in A SOLDIER'S PLAY. But it's not required. In fact the Climax of most contemporary plays is nothing but words -- often intense ones -- but still, words.

Some examples of both kinds. . .

Maggie lies that she's pregnant.
in Tennessee Williams' CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF
Peterson shoots Sgt. Waters.
in Charles Fuller's A SOLDIER'S PLAY
The Angel crashes through Prior's ceiling.
in Tony Kushner's ANGELS IN AMERICA: PART I
Peter confronts Heidi with her lack of commitment.
in Wendy Wasserstein's THE HEIDI CHRONICLES
George tells Martha their son has been killed.
in Edward Albee's WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF?
Babe tries to gas herself [comically] in the oven.
in Beth Henley's CRIMES OF THE HEART
Jesse pulls the trigger [off stage].
in Marsha Norman's 'NIGHT, MOTHER
Bernard and Chloë reject each other.
in Tom Stoppard's ARCADIA

And this is how you make sure the Climax happens. There's a reason it's called what it is . . .

The Obligatory Scene

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