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

Hester is publicly shamed for her sin. Her husband returns, discovers her adultery, and plots his revenge.

Act II

Roger Chillingworth becomes possessed by his need for vengeance while Reverend Dimmesdale grows steadily weaker as a result of his guilt. Hester becomes a symbol of grace in adversity. Then Hester decides it’s time to change the situation – she reveals Chillingworth’s true identity to Dimmesdale and conspires to run away with the minister.

Act III

The minister, at death’s door, confesses his sin publicly, collapses, and dies. Roger Chillingworth dies soon after. Hester and Pearl escape Puritan life and go to the Old World. Eventually, Hester returns to the scene of her greatest passion, greatest weakness, and greatest triumph: the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

Trivia

Booker’s Seven Basic Plots Analysis: Rebirth