Epilogue

An epilogue is a short speech, poem, dirge, elegy or an event that comes at the end of a play, a novel or any other literary piece to close it or better to give it a finishing touch. 

Epilogue, Prologue, and Afterword

Epilogue is the opposite of prologue, which is a piece of writing at the beginning of a literary work. An epilogue is different from an afterword, in that it is part of the main story, occurring after the climax, and revealing the fates of the characters. An afterword is typically written by someone other than the author, and describes how the book came into being.

Usually, an epilogue is set a few hours after the main body of the story, or far into the future, where the writer speaks to the readers indirectly, through the point of view of a different character. In an afterword, on the other hand, an author speaks to the readers directly. In it, a writer may provide a reason for writing the book, and detail the research that has gone into writing the book.

Sometimes, a writer may employ an epilogue to cover loose ends of his story, resolving those issues that were brought up by the writer in the story, but were not resolved in the climax.

Epilogue in Greek and Elizabethan Stage Plays

Epilogue examples are abundant in Greek and Elizabethan stage plays, since including epilogues at the end of the plays was a common practice among their playwrights. After the end of the play, an actor would step forward, speaking directly to the audience, offering his gratitude to them for watching the play patiently.

In comedies, epilogues uttered by those actors were often used to show the main characters of the plays enjoying a happy and contented life after experiencing the disorder during the play.

Similarly, in tragedies the actors narrating the epilogue told the audience about the tragic hero’s final suffering, caused by his poor moral choices. Moreover, the speaker of an epilogue would directly describe the lesson or moral the audience should have learned from the story.

Epilogue in Horror and Suspense Novels

In modern horror and suspense novels and stories, the epilogue is purposefully used to hint at a threat that still looms large on the horizon. 

The monster or villain is believed to have been done with, but the epilogue suggests that the danger is not over and still looms over them. 

Therefore, it adds to the horror and mystery of the work of literature, as the readers get the idea that the characters are not safe, though they might believe so. 

In some cases, epilogue can also be used to confirm that a narrative is not over, and there is still more to the story. It gives the readers an idea that there will be a sequel.