Three-Act Plot Analysis

For a three-act plot analysis, put on your screenwriter’s hat. Moviemakers know the formula well: at the end of Act One, the main character is drawn in completely to a conflict. During Act Two, she is farthest away from her goals. At the end of Act Three, the story is resolved.

Act I

The three brothers Karamazov return to their father's home. Relations are particularly tense between Dmitri and his father because of an inheritance dispute and a romantic rivalry.

Act II

With Dmitri and his father's relationship at an all-time low, his father is murdered.

Act III

Dmitri is wrongly convicted of his father's murder and awaits exile in Siberia.