Peak Book Practice Test

The final stage of a play, movie, or narrative where plot strands are untangled and explanations are provided is called the denouement. This part comes after the climax and falling action, and it shows how the conflicts are resolved, answers lingering questions, and reveals the characters’ fates. It’s the moment when the story’s mysteries are explained and the course of events leads to a clear ending.

While the word resolution also refers to settling the main conflict, denouement specifically focuses on untying the narrative threads and presenting the outcomes, sometimes even after any remaining tension has eased. An epilogue, by contrast, appears after the main story to offer a look at what happens later.