But Caesar catches Solly on the escape route, shooting him in the chest from a distance.

In Gem, Solly seeks to escape and Citizen Barlow, now relieved of his spiritual burden, feels empowered to assist Solly. It must be brief and simple, where the character’s downfall is relieved through a great deed. The resolution (also known variously as the denouement or catastrophe) is the closing action, where the loose ends of the play are tied. Solly kneecaps Caesar when he comes to arrest Solly for the suspected arson. Barlow learns important lessons in repentance and forgiveness as a result of his therapy. The falling action shows the result of the climax, and sometimes includes a calm before the storm: a moment when we believe that everything can still turn out all right. It is usually shorter than the rising action, since there is necessarily less suspense. The falling action occurs after the climax. Two climaxes deserve two falling actions. They are: 1) Aunt Ester’s decision to “treat” Citizen Barlow with a therapeutic “journey” to the “City of Bones” and 2) Solly’s decision to burn down the local mill before his trip back south to help his sister and Caesar’s action of seeking to arrest Solly for his crime. The climax is the highest point of the action, the highest point of tension, after which the rest of the play becomes inevitable. In a slight complication, Black Mary’s brother, Caesar, is not so taken with Citizen Barlow, Still, the romance continues. There is almost immediate chemistry between Citizen Barlow and Black Mary, when they meet, which Aunt Ester encourages. Aunt Ester ends up offering him not only work but a place to stay. Aunt Ester is drawn to Barlow because he reminds her of one of her sons. He has been told on the street that she can help him. Citizen Barlow is desperately seeking an audience with Aunt Ester to help him with a burden weighing on his soul. The rising action begins with Citizen Barlow’s surprise entry into the house through the upstairs window. And late in the scene, Aunt Ester makes her long awaited (by us) appearance. As exposition, we learn that Eli takes care of the place, Black Mary cooks and cleans, Selig is in and out as a merchant, and Solly is a routine visitor.Īs an inciting incident, we discover a local man, accused of stealing nails, drowns himself in the river rather than face justice for something he didn’t do. Following a very short prologue that sort of sets the parameters of Aunt Ester’s visitation schedule, i.e., she see people on Tuesdays and the house is a peaceful sanctuary, we are introduced to the key characters, Eli, Black Mary, Selig, Solly, and Aunt Ester. Often, the exposition is a summary of what has happened before the play itself begins. The introduction (or exposition) explains the place and time of the action, and briefly characterizes the environment.

Gem of the ocean