Plural of epitasis; the main action or turning point of a dramatic work where complications increase and tension builds toward the climax.
From Greek 'epitasis' (ἐπίτασις), meaning 'a stretching,' from 'epi' (upon) plus 'tasis' (stretching). In rhetoric, it refers to the intense or heightened part of a speech or narrative.
Ancient Greek drama theorists mapped the human experience using spatial metaphors—'epitasis' literally means 'stretching tight,' capturing how a good plot winds tension tighter and tighter like a rope being pulled, right up until something snaps.
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