Freytag Pyramid Analysis

The Godfather

External Conflict:

Corleone family vs. Rest of the mob’s families in New York

Internal Conflict:

Michael’s beliefs vs. His family’s beliefs

Exposition:

Don Vito Corleone, the godfather, is a very powerful man. He loves his family, he is also very virtuous, and he is a feared leader of the mafia. Michael, Vito’s youngest son, is a war hero who does not want to be involved in the family business. Santino is Michael’s brother, and he is being trained to be the new Don of the Corleone family when don Vito is gone.

Inciting Incident:

A vicious drug dealer known as “The Turk” offers Don Corleone an entry into the narcotics business, but he refuses for he says drugs are too dangerous. Santino shows interest in this kind of dealings, against his father’s advice.

Rising Action:

Don Vito is shot and almost killed. Luca Brasi (a loyal friend to the Corleone family) is murdered. Sonny (Santino) becomes the Don while his father fights for his life in the hospital. Michael decides that there is nothing more important than his own family, so he enters the conflict.

Climax:

Michael kills Sollozzo (The Turk) and the corrupt police chief of the city. This event starts a violent bloodshed between all of the five most important mob’s families in New York. Michael is forced to flee from the city immediately.

Falling Action:

Michael marries a sweet girl named Apollonia while living on exile in Sicily. Sonny is betrayed by his own brother-in-law and is massacred to death in a trap. Don Vito recovers from his wounds to retake the power and put an end to the war, a war that just turned out to be a lot more expensive than what anyone could have imagined.

Turning Point:

Apollonia gets killed in a car accident and Michael returns to New York to become the new Don of the Corleone family. He marries Kay, his long lost girlfriend and tells her he will stop making a living out of illegal activities. Don Corleone dies from a heart attack while playing with his grandson.

Final Moment Of Suspense:

Barzini (leader from another family, whom everyone suspects was behind Sonny’s murder) arranges a meeting with Michael. Nonetheless, before his death, Vito warned Michael that is how he will be betrayed and killed. Tessio (one of his father’s lifelong and most loyal assistants) is the one who organizes this so-called “meeting”, and thus points himself as a traitor.

Resolution:

Michael gets rid of all the heads of the other families and all those who ever conspired against him. He becomes the most powerful “Don” the Corleone family has ever had.

Conflicts get solved when:

The external conflict is solved, for there is no other family to oppose the Corleone family.

The internal conflict can be observed with the transformation Michael suffers along the course of the movie. He ends up following his father’s steps and becoming a mob leader.