ABSTRACT
This chapter describes some examples of endings which teachers and pupils can employ in their own play making, but there is a general lesson which can be learned from the work of dramatists. R. Barthes’ distinction between the ‘plaisir’ of the classic, comfortable text corresponding with closed endings and the ‘jouissance’ of the unsettling, radical text is helpful because it is a reminder that, if participants have preconceptions of certain types of ending, they are likely to be bewildered if those are not fulfilled. Classical theorists, whether evoking concepts such as ‘resolution’, ‘denouement’ or ‘catastrophe’, shared a common view of the dramatic ending as being the resolution of questions and conflicts and the abolition of any discrepancies in the audience’s understanding. Examples of more classical conventional endings can be found in Shakespeare’s plays which may conclude the plot but do not necessarily bring an end to the narrative – the ending may in fact point towards the future.
