Anticlimax Definition: 7 Anticlimactic Literary Twists and Endings

An anticlimax is a letdown at the highest point of tension within a story. Rather than the story coming to a satisfying conclusion, the author leaves central threads of the plot unresolved or concludes the action too abruptly and inconsequentially. Open a thesaurus, and you’ll see related words, such as “comedown” and “disillusionment,” which are near-synonyms for this literary phenomenon.

When sketching out a definition of anticlimax, remember it can refer to a rhetorical device as well as a broader literary one. In this case, a writer might use lofty, over-the-top verbiage only to come to a commonplace remark or coarse conclusion for comic effect. Consider this example sentence: “The Queen’s new baby has issued his first decree as a king in waiting—the royal word of the day is ‘bleh.’” “Bathos” is another word for when people use an anticlimax like this within a figure of speech.

Climax and anticlimax are antonyms in both a literal and figurative sense. A climax is a logical and satisfying conclusion to the buildup of a sentence or story; an anticlimax is an accidental or disappointing end to the same. Some writers might use an anticlimax deliberately and effectively—the tone of their work might require a more unresolved or ambiguous conclusion rather than a sudden change for the better or worse (as is common with a climax).

Anticlimax manifests itself in many different ways throughout novels, screenplays, poems, and other forms of writing. Consider these seven examples of anticlimax to decide when the device works and when it doesn’t:

1. 1. A Tale of Two Cities: Charles Dickens’s epic tale of the French Revolution decidedly ends with a traditional climax. But he provides a good example of a rhetorical anticlimax in the midst of the narrative. Consider this section: “In a moment, the whole company was on their feet. That somebody was assassinated by somebody vindicating a difference of opinion was the likeliest occurrence. Everybody looked to see somebody fall, but only saw a man and a woman standing staring at each other; the man with all the outward aspect of a Frenchman and a thorough Republican; the woman, evidently English.” In this example, a crowd believes they’ve just been witness to an assassination only to discover a man and woman staring at each other.
2. 2. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy: It should come as no surprise that sci-fi novelist Douglas Adams—the famously funny sci-fi novelist—used anticlimax for comic effect in his most famous book. After a long exchange between the all-knowing supercomputer Deep Thought and other characters about life, the universe, and everything, the former finally reveals the No. 42 to be what humankind was expecting as the answer to its most gnawing question (“What is the meaning of life?”).
3. 3. The Hunger Games series: The first installment in Suzanne Collins’s smash hit trilogy and subsequent film series proceeds at a breakneck pace only to end in an anticlimax. The rise in action ends with Katniss and Peeta deciding to take their own lives instead of killing each other to end the games of the series’ title—only for those who run the games to end the competition instead.
4. 4. Monty Python and the Holy Grail: The absurdist British comedy troupe clearly intended to steer their Arthurian farce into an anticlimactic, inglorious conclusion. After a long, zany quest to find the Holy Grail, it’s finally within the grasp of the surviving main characters. But just as they’re about to take the fortress that holds the Grail, modern-day British police officers arrest the protagonists and the film’s camera crew. This twist is an anticlimax and simultaneously breaks the fourth wall.
5. 5. Much Ado About Nothing: William Shakespeare knew how to end his work on a high point, but even the great bard dabbled in anticlimax from time to time. In this comedy, one of the villains, Borachio, simply comes clean about his deceit and trickery rather than let it cause any lasting harm to the heroes.
6. 6. No Country for Old Men: The Best Picture–winning film by brothers Ethan Coen and Joel Coen proves one person’s disappointing ending might be another’s ingeniously ambiguous conclusion. After a long manhunt, one of the protagonists dies and the villain seemingly escapes despite being gravely injured. The sense of anticlimax works as a literary device here due to the broader themes of nihilism, blind fate, and random chance author Cormac McCarthy explored in the eponymous source material.
7. 7. The Rape of the Lock: Alexander Pope’s comical poem satirizes the lofty language of previous epics by routinely engaging in anticlimax. Consider these example sentences: “Here thou, great Anna, whom three realms obey, / Dost sometimes counsel take, and sometimes tea.” Here, he contrasts the extensive and powerful reign of Queen Anne (the monarch of seventeenth-century England when Pope wrote the poem) with her propensity to drink tea just like the rest of her subjects.

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