#Subplot meaning series

One of the notable scenes occurs when the Hobbits meet the Ents, walking and talking trees. They also spend time with Merry and Pippin, who are captured by Orcs and eventually escape. In this novel, readers follow the central plotline with Frodo and Sam. King often uses these subplots to connect one event to the next and help create a foreboding atmosphere in his novels.Īn example of a longer subplot can be found in the second novel in the Lord of the Rings series. He was saved by a reoccurring character, Dick Halloran.

Will Hanlon, the father of one of the main characters in the novel, was one of the only survivors of the fire. Eight children and one adult were never accounted for. There was chocolate on the Dohay lad’s teeth and blood in his hair. On the following Wednesday, while the city still lay in stunned silent contemplation of the tragedy, a woman found the head of nine-year-old Robert Dohay caught in the limbs of her back-yard apple tree. Here are a few lines from the novel in which King describes the aftermath of the fire: The story of the nightclub and the fire that eventually destroyed it served as a way to demonstrate the darkness in the town and the unavoidable presence of death and destruction. One of the best examples from the novel is the mini-subplot King crafts around The Black Spot, a nightclub with mostly black patrons. These provide readers with information about the character’s pasts, their family members, and most importantly, the history of Derry in which the events all occur. In this famous horror novel, King adds numerous short subplots to his central plotline. Subplots also allow readers to draw closer to characters and understand them and their conflicts better.Įxamples of Subplots in Literature It by Stephen King A subplot is usually used to reveal more details about the characters, complicate the world they live in, or provide the reader with other important information for their understanding of upcoming events. These secondary stories occur at the same time as the central plot and can have some or no influence on the central plotline. By the end, these three subplots weave into the main storyline.Subplots are secondary plot lines that complicate novels or longer short stories. Another subplot concerns the escape of Merry and Pippin from the Orcs. The main plot concerns the quest of Frodo to go back to the ring, while the secondary plot moves around Legolas and Aragon’s adventures in their pursuit to protect settlements while destroying the Orcs’ armies. Tolkien’s novel The Lord of Ring contains an excellent example of a subplot. Another subplot involves Pip’s plan to get Abel Magwitch out of the country with the help of Wemmick. One of these subplots is Pip’s acquaintance with Herbert, as he cares more for his friend’s finances than his own.

#Subplot meaning series

Example #4: Great Expectations (By Charles Dickens)Ĭharles Dickens’ novel Great Expectations is a huge web with a series of subplots. Nevertheless, the events get mixed up, and Regan and Goneril start falling for Edmund, when he becomes the Earl, and Edgar ties the knot with Cordelia. This subplot points toward major events in the plot, such as neither father could differentiate between their faithful and treacherous children. However, the subplot involves the Earl of Gloucester and his sons, Edmund, an illegitimate son, and Edgar, a tricky man.Įdgar is very cunning, tricking his father into thinking his faithful son Edgar is engaging in intrigue against him. William Shakespeare, in his popular play King Lear, describes the main plot: King Lear disowns Cordelia, his faithful and loyal daughter, and divides his entire kingdom between his unfaithful and treacherous daughters, Regan and Goneril.