A story has important parts, or elements. Let’s look at them and talk about the story “Cinderella”:
（Story には Elementsと呼ばれる大切なものがあります。シンデレラのストーリーからElementsを見てみましょう。）
1. Characters
Most stories have two important characters: a protagonist, or the main character, and an antagonist, the character against the protagonist.
（ほとんどのストーリーには二人［ふたつ］の主な登場人物が出てきます。
Protagonistは主人公、Antagonistは主人公の邪魔をする役割です。
In the story “Cinderella”, for example, Cinderella is the protagonist and her stepmother and stepsisters are the antagonists.
（例えば、シンデレラ物語ではProtagonistはシンデレラ、Antagonistはまま母です。）
2. Setting
Setting is:
（ストーリーの設定）
- When and （いつ）
- Where （どこ）
The setting of “Cinderella” is a long time ago in a country with a king.
（シンデレラの設定は、「昔」「王様のいる国」）
3. Plot
The plot is the flow of a story, or the main happenings. The plot for Cinderella is:
（筋書はストーリーがどう流れていくか。）
Long ago, a kind girl, Cinderella, lived with her mean stepmother and stepsisters. Cinderella had to clean, sew and cook all day. One day, everyone went to a ball, but Cinderella had to work. Luckily, a magic godmother came. She gave Cinderella a beautiful dress and sent her to the ball. There, Cinderella met a prince. They danced together and had a wonderful time, but Cinderella had to leave suddenly. The prince was sad. He didn’t know who she was, but he found her slipper. With the slipper, he found Cinderella. Then, the prince and Cinderella married and lived happily ever after.