Today we are talking about the Master Plot: Revenge.
But before I get into the plot I have a small announcement. I will be doing the A - Z Challenge all April. There aren’t enough plots to land on a Monday and start with the appropriate letter of the alphabet, so the plot post will stop until the first Monday of May.
Now to Revenge:
Your character has been wronged and now they want revenge. The how and the why is the story. For this plot you either want a high stakes game where the character tries to grasp the situation and suffers; think Hamlet, or you want a character that easily falls into the plot and carries out the revenge because circumstances present themselves to help. Think vigilante, justified to the end.
The first type, similar to a Greek tragedy, uses the mind to battle against the character’s desire for revenge, effectively employing both to achieve the end result. The character suffers in an agony of what should I do? Or the easy modern, eye for an eye, and the character makes the bad guys pay. One is mental, the other action packed. Not that the first doesn’t have action, it does, but it also has a war within the character. Each type of revenge has its place.
Revenge is a three act story.
1. Crime: Not all revenge stories have an actual crime, some have a perceived crime. It’s all in the characters head. When you do have a crime it needs to match the characters ultimate method of revenge. For example, if your characters family is murdered, then the protagonist may plot and carry out the murders of the villain(s). If your character is robbed, then they may hunt down the villain and steal from them. Often, the crime is observed by your hero and affects their friends and family. You must show the crime or your reader will not be invested in the story, cheering the protagonist on. That doesn’t mean the reader will always like the protagonist, this will depend on how far you push it. If your protagonist is Hamlet, the reader will have empathy for the character. If your character murders their own children to get back at a wrong done them, well, the reader will hate the character. So, push the envelope, you’re a writer, but understand the significance of what you write.
2. Plan: The second stage involves the protagonist plot to get even, the plan. The plan may be detailed or it may be ‘grab a gun and hunt the villains down.’ It may involve a chase or it may be a trap. Many revenge plots have a third character who works to try to stop the protagonist. But, not all of the revenge plots do.
3. Confrontation: The protagonist and antagonist meet. The hero exacts his revenge on the villain. The hero either wins the day or is caught in the villains trap. It usually spells death for the one you decide will lose. Most of the time, there is violence in this plot, but not always.
Revenge is not always about murder, rape or some other serious crime. Sometimes it’s about con men, think The Sting, starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford. This was a great movie and we delighted in the intricate plan concocted by the heroes who were con men themselves.
This plot casts you, the writer, in a moral position of determining right from wrong and justifying the actions of the hero. Be aware of the consequences. There are many more points made in the book, 20 Master Plots and how to build them, by Ronald B. Tobias. I hope you will invest a few coins in the book.
Some of you have commented that many of these plots appear in stories that are clearly other types of plots. This is true. It is called a ‘sub-plot.’ In my book, The Treasures of Carmelidrium, the over all plot is that of a quest. But woven into the pages you can find other plots, among them are, adventure, pursuit and rescue to name three. A good story, one that grips the reader through out will be built on the masterful use of multiple plots and strong character development.
To view previous plot post go here:
For our next plot we will look at: The Riddle. Come back on Monday, May 2, 2011.
Of course, I hope to see you all during the A – Z Challenge in April.