A Freytag pyramid, named after Gustav Freytag, a nineteenth century novelist, is a plot diagram. It is called a pyramid due to its shape. A Freytag pyramid is broken down into the five essential elements of a story. These are the exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and denouement. The break between the exposition and rising action occurs with the inciting incident. This is the first indication of conflict in the story. Here's what a Freytag pyramid looks like: