a  crisis  at  which,  for  a  brief  period,  the  downward  course
of  the  action  seems  on  the  verge  of  being  arrested  and
the  impending  crisis  averted.  Drama  itself  frequently
offers  example  of  this  moment:  the  final  clause  in  the
witches'  threefold  prophecy  seems  for  an  instant  to  offer
a  ray  of  hope  to  Macbeth,  about  whom  disasters  are
gathering  fast  and  thick;  Brutus  for  a  moment  hesitates
at  the  thought  of  suicide,  reasoning  that  it  betrays
cowardice  thus  to  "prevent  the  time  of  life"  for  fear  of
ills  to  come.  But  the  check  is  never  quite  adequate:
Macduff  proves  that  the  prophecy  has  no  application  in
his  case;  Brutus  ultimately  rushes  upon  the  sword  held
by  Strato.  In  prose  narrative  the  moment  of  final  sus-
pense is  frequently  lacking,  but,  in  order  to  meet  the
difficulty  of  sustaining  the  interest  after  the  point  of
culmination  has  been  reached,  the  fall  is  made  very  brief


214    RHETORICAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  NARRATION

in  duration,  so  that  the  climax,  instead  of  occupying  a
medial  position,  is  advanced  well  on  toward  the  conclu-
sion.
