What is a Subplot?
A secondary storyline within a main plot.
Subplot: The Supporting Act
Commonly referred to as the supporting act of a literary work, a subplot is a secondary storyline that runs parallel to the main plot of a narrative. This narrative technique adds complexity and depth to the overall story by providing additional perspectives and insights into themes and characters.
Subplots can vary in their importance and frequency throughout a story, but they ultimately serve to enhance the reader's understanding and appreciation of the main plot. By creating a distinct narrative arc of their own, subplots offer a welcome respite from the intensity of the main plotline, allowing the reader to take a step back and view the story from another angle.
While subplots can be highly effective at reinforcing the themes and messages of a story, they must be carefully integrated and managed to avoid diluting the impact of the main plot. A skillful author will use subplots to enrich and deepen the reader's experience by skillfully weaving them into the fabric of the main plot, creating a cohesive and satisfying narrative.
Subplots have been used by writers for centuries to add complexity and depth to their stories. Here are two examples of how subplots have been used in classic literature to great effect:
In Twain's classic novel, the search for freedom and identity on the Mississippi River is the main plotline, but a subplot involving two con men, the Duke and the King, runs parallel to it, providing a comic relief and a commentary on the human nature along the way.
In Rowling’s second book of the Harry Potter series, a subplot featuring menacing threats and mysterious messages in the Hogwarts castle is interwoven with the overarching plotline of Harry, Ron, and Hermione investigating the opening of the Chamber of Secrets.