Denouement
The untying — the part of a story after the climax where the knot the plot tied comes undone. Used of real life too: the outcome of any tangled run of events.
Full definition of Denouement →:: COMPARE ::
DenouementvsEpilogue
The short answer
The denouement is inside the story's causal chain — it is the consequences of the climax arriving. An epilogue steps outside it, usually across a gap of time, to report. One is the plot finishing; the other is the narrator adding a note.
Side by side
| Aspect | Denouement | Epilogue |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the plot | Yes | No |
| Caused by the climax | Directly | Loosely |
| Time gap | Usually none | Usually years |
| Optional | No | Yes |
What each one means
Epilogue
The contrast above sets out how Epilogue differs from Denouement on the points that actually matter.