Every hero has a seminal insight – the apotheosis. Once you know what that insight will be, you can start building your story up to and beyond that point:
In The Shawshank Redemption, Andy Dufresne’s apotheosis is that you either get busy living or you get busy dying. He reaches that insight in the scene by the prison wall with Red (Morgan Freeman), but it is preceeded by the earlier insight that he will never get out of prison (Warden Norton will never let him go). The apotheosis is preceded by the physical processes of submersion (being locked in the hole for two months; the Belly of the Whale of the Ordeal) and rebirth through death (symbolised by the death of Tommy). The apotheosis is preceded by the crossing of the First Threshold and the Ordeal in general.
In Alien, Ripley’s apotheosis arrives during the conversation with Ash, the revived android. He tells her that the alien cannot be destroyed and that the military want it – this horror will be unleashed on the Earth unless she destroys it and the only way to do that is to nuke the Nostromo.
Synergy is a form of apotheosis:
In The Dirty Dozen, Lee Marvin’s challenge is to make his men operate as an effective unit. When Charles Bronson et al attain synergy – they overpower the Major’s men in the war games sequence. The whole second act is constructed around the need to reach synergy.
In some stories, both apotheosis (in the form of personal insight) and synergy are the basis of Act II (in an three act story).
In Beverly Hills Cop, Axel Foley’s insight is that Victor Maitland is using coffee beans to disguise the import of drugs. Synergy is attained when Taggart and Rosewood join forces with Axel.
In Alien, Ripley and Parker initially antagonise each other. After Ripley’s apotheosis, Parker quickly falls into line (synergy) and they (along with Lambert) begin to prepare to nuke the Nostromo.
In all of the above, the apotheosis leads straight into the final act. Insight and synergy give the hero the strength, focus and knowledge (Ultimate Boon) to overcome the antagonism.
A detailed analysis of the Apotheosis and story structure templates can be found at
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Kal Bishop, MBA
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Kal Bishop is a management consultant based in London, UK. His specialities include Knowledge Management and Creativity and Innovation Management. He has consulted in the visual media and software industries and for clients such as Toshiba and Transport for London. He has led Improv, creativity and innovation workshops, exhibited artwork in San Francisco, Los Angeles and London and written a number of screenplays. He is a passionate traveller. He can be reached at
