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

We're introduced to a flowerbed; a married couple wanders past the flowerbed, reflecting on the past; a snail struggles slowly through the dirt.

Act II

Before the snail can reach a decision about how to best proceed through the dirt, two men (one young, one senile) wander past. Two women (one fat, one thin) follow the men at some distance, taking keen notice of the senile man's eccentric behaviors. The snail proceeds beneath the great brown tent of the leaf. While the snail is still beneath the leaf, a young couple comes along and soon wanders off for their tea.

Act III

The perspective of the narrative zooms out from these individual figures to consider the whole of the scene. Yep, that's it. No alien invasion, snail-zombie apocalypse, or any crazy plot twist for that matter; just a peaceful summer day in a beautiful garden.