Subplot

What is a Subplot?

A subplot is a secondary storyline that runs alongside the main plot, exploring themes or conflicts from a different perspective. It involves supporting characters and adds depth to the narrative by providing additional layers of character development, thematic exploration, and conflict. Subplots often intersect with the main plot, influencing its direction and contributing to the overall richness of the storytelling experience.

Importance of Subplot

Subplots are crucial elements in storytelling for several reasons. They provide depth, complexity, and richness to narratives, enhancing the overall storytelling experience. Here’s why subplots are important:

1. Character Development: Subplots allow for the exploration of secondary characters, providing them with their own arcs, motivations, and growth. This adds layers to the story’s characters, making them more dynamic and relatable.
2. Thematic Exploration: Subplots offer opportunities to delve into different themes or sub-themes that may not be fully explored in the main plot. They provide a broader perspective on the central themes of the story, enriching its depth and complexity.
3. Pacing and Structure: Subplots help maintain the pacing of the narrative by offering breaks from the main storyline. They prevent the main plot from feeling stagnant or one-dimensional by introducing variety and tension.
4. Audience Engagement: Subplots captivate the audience by offering additional layers of intrigue, conflict, and resolution. They keep viewers or readers invested in the story by providing multiple points of interest to follow.
5. World-Building: Subplots contribute to the world-building of the story by expanding upon the setting, culture, or history. They offer glimpses into different aspects of the story world, enriching its complexity and believability.

List of Subplots

1. Romantic Subplot: Involves the development of romantic relationships between characters, adding emotional depth and complexity to the narrative.
2. Personal Struggles: Focuses on the internal conflicts and growth of characters, such as overcoming fears, coping with trauma, or pursuing personal goals.
3. Side Quests/Adventures: Features secondary missions, quests, or adventures undertaken by characters, often contributing to the main storyline or character development.
4. Family Dynamics: Explores relationships within families, including parent-child conflicts, sibling rivalries, or generational differences.
5. Political Intrigue: Involves power struggles, conspiracies, or political maneuvering within a larger societal or political context.
6. Friendship Bonds: Highlights the dynamics and challenges of friendships, including loyalty, betrayal, and support.
7. Professional Challenges: Centers on characters’ career aspirations, workplace conflicts, or ethical dilemmas.
8. Cultural Exploration: Explores cultural identity, traditions, or clashes between different cultural groups.
9. Mystery or Suspense: Involves solving mysteries, uncovering secrets, or dealing with suspenseful situations that intersect with the main plot.
10. Survival Challenges: Focuses on characters’ efforts to survive in hostile environments or overcome extreme circumstances.
11. Revenge or Retribution: Revolves around characters seeking vengeance or justice for past wrongs, often leading to moral dilemmas and conflicts.
12. Identity Crisis: Explores characters’ struggles with self-discovery, identity, or belonging, often leading to profound personal growth.
13. Historical Events: Intersects with significant historical events, allowing characters to navigate the challenges and changes of their time period.
14. Parallel Storylines: Runs alongside the main plot, offering alternate perspectives, complementary narratives, or contrasting themes.
15. Emotional Journeys: Focuses on characters’ emotional development, such as overcoming grief, finding forgiveness, or learning to trust.

Benefits of Using Subplots In Stories

Using subplots in stories offers several benefits that enhance the overall storytelling experience:

1. Character Development: Subplots provide opportunities to delve deeper into the lives and motivations of secondary characters, enriching their personalities and making them more relatable to the audience.
2. Thematic Exploration: By introducing additional storylines, subplots allow for the exploration of diverse themes and ideas, adding depth and complexity to the narrative.
3. Pacing and Structure: Subplots help maintain the pacing of the main storyline by providing breaks and variety, preventing the narrative from feeling monotonous or predictable.
4. Audience Engagement: Multiple storylines capture the audience’s interest and keep them invested in the narrative, as they become emotionally connected to various characters and their individual journeys.
5. Conflict and Tension: Subplots introduce additional conflicts and tensions that complement or contrast with those in the main plot, keeping the audience on the edge of their seats and driving the story forward.
6. World-Building: Subplots expand the story world by exploring different aspects of the setting, culture, or history, enriching the overall experience for the audience.
7. Foreshadowing and Symbolism: Subplots can serve as vehicles for foreshadowing future events or conveying symbolic meanings, adding layers of depth and intrigue to the story.
8. Emotional Impact: Subplots allow for the exploration of emotional arcs and relationships, evoking a range of emotions from the audience and creating a more immersive reading or viewing experience.

Structure of a Subplot

The structure of a subplot typically follows a similar pattern to that of the main plot, albeit on a smaller scale. Here’s a breakdown of the typical structure of a subplot:

1. Introduction/Setup: The subplot is introduced early on in the story, usually alongside the main plot. This is where the audience is introduced to the secondary characters involved in the subplot and the initial conflict or goal that drives their storyline. The setup establishes the stakes and sets the foundation for the subplot’s development.
2. Development/Rising Action: As the main plot progresses, so does the subplot. This phase involves the development of the secondary characters, the escalation of their conflict or goal, and the introduction of obstacles or challenges they must overcome. The subplot may intersect with the main plot at key moments, influencing its direction or providing context for certain events.
3. Climax: The climax of the subplot is reached when the conflict or goal reaches its peak intensity. This is typically the most dramatic or pivotal moment in the subplot, where the secondary characters face their greatest challenges or make significant decisions that impact their storyline.
4. Resolution/Falling Action: Following the climax, the subplot begins to wind down. Loose ends are tied up, conflicts are resolved (either positively or negatively), and the secondary characters undergo some form of resolution or transformation. This phase may also involve the repercussions of the subplot’s events on the main plot or other characters.
5. Integration/Impact: Finally, the subplot is integrated back into the main plot, either directly or thematically. The experiences and developments of the secondary characters in the subplot may have a lasting impact on the overall narrative, influencing the trajectory of the main storyline or contributing to its thematic resonance.

Tips to Write a Good Subplot

Writing a compelling subplot requires careful planning and execution to ensure it enhances rather than detracts from the main storyline. Here are some tips to help you craft a good subplot:

1. Relevance to Main Plot: Ensure that your subplot is relevant to the main storyline and contributes to the overall narrative arc. It should complement the main plot by exploring related themes, adding depth to characters, or providing context for key events.
2. Character Development: Use the subplot to develop secondary characters and flesh out their backgrounds, motivations, and conflicts. Give them their own goals, arcs, and obstacles to overcome, making them more three-dimensional and engaging to the audience.
3. Parallel Structure: Aim for a subplot that follows a similar structure to the main plot, with its own introduction, rising action, climax, and resolution. This helps maintain cohesion and pacing within the story while providing variety and depth.
4. Interconnection: Look for opportunities to weave the subplot into the main storyline, allowing them to intersect at key moments or influence each other’s development. This creates a sense of interconnectedness and adds layers of complexity to the narrative.
5. Conflict and Tension: Introduce conflicts and tensions within the subplot that mirror or contrast with those in the main plot. This keeps the audience engaged and invested in both storylines, driving the narrative forward and building suspense.
6. Foreshadowing and Symbolism: Use the subplot to foreshadow future events or convey symbolic meanings relevant to the main plot. This adds depth and intrigue to the story while enhancing its thematic resonance.
7. Pacing and Balance: Ensure that the subplot enhances the pacing and balance of the overall narrative rather than detracting from it. Avoid subplots that feel disconnected or slow-paced, as they can disrupt the flow of the story.
8. Resolution and Impact: Give the subplot a satisfying resolution that ties up loose ends and provides closure for the secondary characters involved. Consider the impact of the subplot’s events on the main storyline and other characters, ensuring it contributes meaningfully to the overall narrative arc.

Subplot in a Narrative

In a narrative, a subplot is a secondary storyline that runs alongside the main plot, offering additional layers of depth, complexity, and intrigue to the overall story. Here’s how a subplot functions within a narrative:

1. Supporting Characters: Subplots often involve supporting characters who have their own goals, conflicts, and journeys separate from the main protagonist. These characters may be friends, family members, allies, or adversaries of the protagonist.
2. Thematic Exploration: Subplots allow for the exploration of different themes or sub-themes that complement or contrast with those of the main plot. They provide alternative perspectives, enriching the overall thematic resonance of the narrative.
3. Character Development: Subplots offer opportunities to develop secondary characters by delving into their backgrounds, motivations, and relationships. This adds depth and complexity to the characters, making them more three-dimensional and relatable to the audience.
4. Pacing and Variety: Subplots help maintain the pacing of the narrative by offering breaks from the main storyline. They provide variety and intrigue, keeping the audience engaged and invested in the story as they follow the progression of different character arcs or conflicts.
5. Intersection with Main Plot: Subplots often intersect with the main plot at key moments, influencing its direction or providing context for certain events. These intersections may reveal connections between the main plot and subplot, adding layers of depth and complexity to the overall narrative.
6. Resolution and Impact: Subplots typically have their own resolution, where conflicts are resolved, and characters undergo growth or transformation. The resolution of the subplot may have implications for the main plot, influencing its outcome or contributing to its thematic resonance.

Subplot vs. Plot

Aspect	Plot	Subplot
Definition	The main storyline that drives the narrative	A secondary storyline that runs alongside the main plot
Importance	Central to the narrative, focuses on the primary conflict and main characters	Supplementary to the main plot, enriches the story by providing additional depth and complexity
Character Focus	Main characters are central to the plot, their goals, conflicts, and growth drive the story forward	Secondary characters are often the focus, allowing for their development, conflicts, and relationships to be explored
Development	Typically follows a traditional story arc with exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution	Follows a similar structure to the main plot but on a smaller scale, with its own arc and resolution
Impact	Drives the overall narrative and determines its outcome	Enhances the main plot by providing thematic exploration, character development, or additional tension
Interconnection	May intersect with other subplots but remains the primary focus of the narrative	May intersect with the main plot and other subplots, contributing to the overall cohesion and complexity of the story

Examples of Subplot in literature

1. “Harry Potter” series: Harry’s friendships, romances, and battles with Voldemort.
2. “To Kill a Mockingbird”: Scout’s adventures with friends alongside the trial of Tom Robinson.
3. “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy: Aragorn’s journey, Legolas and Gimli’s friendship, and Aragorn’s love for Arwen.
4. “Jane Eyre”: Jane’s mysterious encounters at Thornfield Hall and her relationships with St. John Rivers.
5. “The Great Gatsby”: Gatsby’s love for Daisy, Tom’s affair with Myrtle, and the pursuit of the American Dream.
6. “Game of Thrones” series: Political intrigue in King’s Landing and power struggles across the Seven Kingdoms.
7. “Pride and Prejudice”: Jane and Mr. Bingley’s romance and Elizabeth’s relationship with Mr. Darcy.
8. “Wuthering Heights”: The love triangle between Heathcliff, Catherine, and Edgar, and the conflicts between their families.
9. “The Catcher in the Rye”: Holden’s encounters with people and his internal struggles.
10. “The Odyssey”: Odysseus’ encounters with monsters, gods, and challenges on his journey home.

Examples of Subplot in Movies

1. “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy: Besides Frodo’s journey, there are stories about Aragorn’s quest for his throne, Legolas and Gimli’s friendship, and Aragorn and Arwen’s love.
2. “Inception”: Alongside Dom Cobb’s mission, there are subplots about his guilt over his wife’s death, his relationships with his team, and the mysteries of dreams.
3. “Pulp Fiction”: The film follows hitmen Vincent and Jules, boxer Butch’s betrayal, and various characters’ encounters.
4. “The Dark Knight”: Apart from Batman’s fight against the Joker, there’s Harvey Dent’s transformation, Bruce Wayne’s romance, and Commissioner Gordon’s struggle.
5. “Toy Story” series: Besides Woody and Buzz, there are stories about other toys like Mr. Potato Head and Rex.
6. “The Avengers” (2012): Alongside the team’s battle, there are stories about individual struggles and relationships.
7. “Forrest Gump”: Besides Forrest’s journey, there are stories about his relationship with Jenny and his encounters with historical figures.
8. “The Shawshank Redemption”: Apart from Andy’s escape, there are stories about his friendships and hope in prison.
9. “The Matrix”: Besides Neo’s journey, there are stories about his relationships and the war between humans and machines.
10. “Frozen”: Alongside Anna’s quest, there are stories about Elsa’s powers, Kristoff’s journey, and Olaf’s adventures.

What is a Subplot in Theatre?

In theater, a subplot is a secondary storyline that runs alongside the main plot, involving supporting characters and adding depth, complexity, and thematic exploration to the overall production.

What are Subplots in a Story?

Subplots in a story are secondary storylines that run alongside the main plot, involving supporting characters and adding depth, complexity, and thematic exploration to the overall narrative. They often intersect with the main plot, enriching the storytelling experience.

How many Subplots in a Novel?

The number of subplots in a novel can vary greatly depending on the complexity of the story and the author’s style. Some novels may have only one or two subplots, while others may feature multiple interconnected subplots weaving throughout the narrative. There’s no set rule for the exact number of subplots in a novel, as it depends on the author’s storytelling goals and the intricacies of the plot. However, it’s common for novels to have at least one or two subplots to add depth and richness to the overall story.