If you have a main character whose crisis tempts them to veer outside of their values, then you likely have a morality plot. Sometimes the choice is one of selfishness at the expense of others, other times, it is selflessness at the expense of self. But the character's moral fiber, their soul,  is always on the line. Let's look at how to write a temptation or morality plot. 

Like the morality plays of the middle ages, temptation or morality stories are rooted in cultural values: what is most important to the culture presented in the story? What does it need from the protagonist to thrive? Those early plays demonstrated how to be a good member of society, amplifying right choices and villifying the wrong ones. 

Charles Dickens’ classic A Christmas Carol has a morality plot line. Scrooge begins as a man who is going to lose his soul when he dies because of his greed. Over the course of the story, he sees the error of his ways and chooses to change and act to the benefit of society and those immediately around him. But how do you know if you have a morality plot? And why does it matter? 

To get cheatsheets for all nine plot types, click here. 

What are Plot Types?

Remember that there are nine types of stories, each plot type based on a set of values. You can read about all nine types here or view a new video on Plot Types here. 

Essentially though, plot types are patterns that help us see how stories work. And stories are built around what characters want whether that’s money, fame, love, power or any other desire. 

Every value can be distilled to six essential human values. Building off of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, these values are as follows (credit to Robert McKee and Shawn Coyne for introducing me to these concepts):

1. Survival from Nature > Life vs. Death
2. Survival from Others > Life vs. Fate Worse than Death
3. Love/Community > Love vs. Hate
4. Esteem > Accomplishment vs. Failure
5. Personal Growth > Maturity vs. Immaturity
6. Transcendence > Right vs. Wrong

So when we look at a temptation or morality plot, the value at stake is transcendence. It’s primarily about a character choosing between right and wrong, selflessness versus selfishness. 

The value of right vs. wrong here is not “The Good Guys” vs. “The Bad Guys.” That plot type is usually action. Instead, the evil is within the character, and they must choose whether to do the good, self-sacrificial thing or the selfish, evil thing. Their soul is at stake. 

In his book Story, Robert KcKee classifies these types of films in two categories:

The Redemption Plot where the protagonist changes from bad to good. McKee offers movies like The Hustler and Schindler’s List as examples of the Redemption Plot.

Then he identifies the Punitive Plot where the good guy turns bad and is punished, such as in the movies Greed and Wall Street. 

In all of those examples, you can see that the primary conflict for the morality plot is an internal conflict. Do I choose the right thing and benefit others? Or the wrong thing and benefit myself? 

What Archetypal Elements Will a Morality Story Include?

If you are writing a morality plot line, the archetypal inciting incident is “Let's Make a Deal” where the protagonist is tempted to make a “deal with the devil” and do something they know is wrong but might give them great reward.

Alternatively, if the protagonist begins as a misanthrope or other scourge on society like Scrooge, the proposition might be an invitation to something better. For Scrooge, it is Marley’s warning which Scrooge doesn’t fully accept at first. 

For the climax, there will be some kind of Judgment Day. Facing the consequences of their actions, the main character must either embrace their consequences and change or continue to attempt to escape them and face damnation.

In A Christmas Carol, Scrooge is confronted with his Judgment Day when the Ghost of Christmas Future shows him his gravestone and the lack of mourners. He’s confronted with the consequences of his greed and it scares him into new action. 

Many stories with this plot type contain some or all of the following conventions:

• Temptation- remember this is the temptation to reject their values
• A mentor
• An antagonist intent on bringing “justice”

Here are a few additional subtypes of the Morality Plot:

• Redemption
• Corruption
• Propaganda
• Religious/Spiritual
• Social Justice

You can see how this plot types lends itself well to stories that appeal to a reader's moral code. 

Temptation Plot Example: Frozen

A surprising but perfect example of the temptation plot is Frozen, the Disney film that has become one of the highest-grossing animated films of all time, seen by over a billion people worldwide. 

If you've somehow managed to not see Frozen, it's about two siststers: Elsa, a young queen with magical ice powers, who accidentally plunges her kingdom into eternal winter, and Ana, her younger sister, who must help Elsa control her abilities before she dooms the entire kingdom (and herself). 

The true “Let's Make a Deal” moment for Elsa occurs at the very beginning of the film when her younger sister Anna convinces her to use her powers to “build a snowman” late at night, something they're definitely not supposed to be doing, and leads directly to Elsa injuring Anna with her magic. The fallout of that injury is that Elsa is perpetually afraid of her powers and her forced by her family to hide them away. 

Later, after she ruins her coronation and accidentally freezes the entire kingdom, she momentarily feels completely free of the burdens of holding back from temptation. She finally feels like she can be fully herself and can “let it go,” not realizing of course that the cost of her freedom is the doom of the kingdom and, soon, her own sister. Still, it's impossible not cheer for her as she sings, “No right, no wrong, no rules for me.” 

Elsa faces her own dilemma when she learns that her actions have caused an eternal winter in Arendelle. She must choose between continuing her isolated existence and risking the neglect of her responsibilities as queen and sister, or returning to Arendelle and risking judgment and the potential sacrifice of her newfound freedom.

But the main dilemma and resulting climax of the film comes after this, when Anna faces her own moral dilemma. Her heart frozen and time running out, Anna must choose between sacrificing herself to save Elsa from Hans' “judgment,” risking her own death, or saving herself with “true love's kiss” from Kristoff, risking living with the guilt of her sister's death forever.

This moment is what makes this story, and the morality plot in general, so powerful, as Anna must decide between self-preservation and sacrificial love. Her choice to put Elsa's life before her own not only saves them both but also demonstrates to Elsa how to reject the temptation of isolated “empowerment” and to use her powers for the good of her kingdom and loved ones.

Other Examples of Temptation or Morality Stories

You can see that temptation and morality plots often revolve around individuals making decisions in a society rife with problems. Notable stories with this plot type include:

• A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
• The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
• Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
• Wall Street

When the Soul is at Stake

A morality plot demands nothing less than a character's soul at stake, as you can see in the examples listed above. They can be compelling stories, and powerful examples of how to live when told well. If you decide to take on a morality plot, think through the stakes and how the character will be forced to choose between their own selfish desires and the good of their communities. 

What other morality stories have you found memorable and why? Share in the comments.