Conflict and Complication

Complication or Catastasis is defined by Encyclopaedia Britannica as a dramatic complication that immediately precedes the climax of a play or that occurs during the climax of a play.

It is also often part of a Conflict, which is an important part of almost every fictional story ever written. It also happens before or during Climax, but is more all encompassing than Complication, which is just a mere roadblock in the bigger picture of a Conflict. ("Catastasis")

Conflict, defined by Freytag's pyramid, happens in Act II of his five act scheme. It arises due to rising action, or rising movement, in other words complications or obstacles being put in the way of the protagonist. It often leads to the introduction of new characters. For example the antagonist, the love interest etc. Naturally, after tension rises up enough, it leads to the Climax of the story, often both physical and emotional. (Technique of the Drama)

In the Hero's journey introduced by Campbell, Conflict is introduced already in Act I, often including a refusal to leave the known world, followed by more arising issues, which make the departure into the unknown necessary. (The Hero With A Thousand Faces)

In “Reading The Lord of the Rings: New Writings on Tolkien's Classic” Robert Eaglestone says that, the journey undertaken by Frodo and his companions, however, is a journey of necessity rather than a search for adventure; for this is a quest narrative in which the aim is not to find something, an equivalent of the holy grail, but to be rid of something: the most powerful Ring of all with its destructive power to corrupt. (Reading The Lord of the Rings: New Writings on Tolkien's Classic, page 51)

Works Cited: 

“Catastasis.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. 21 Nov. 2021, https://www.britannica.com/art/catastasis.

 https://www.masterclass.com/articles/freytags-pyramid

Freytag, Gustav. Technique of the Drama. Sequoyah Books, 2004 

Campbell, Joseph. The Hero With A Thousand Faces. New World Library, 2008

Eaglestone, Robert. Reading The Lord of the Rings: New Writings on Tolkien's Classic, A&C Black, 1. 3. 2006

author of the page: Viktorie Veselá