In drama and narrative, the main action or plot development phase where complications intensify and build tension toward the climax.
From Greek 'epitasis' (ἐπίτασις), literally 'a stretching out' or 'a tightening,' from 'epi' (upon) and 'tasis' (tension/stretching). Used by classical Greek dramatists to describe the escalating phase of a play.
The word 'epitasis' reveals how ancient Greeks thought about drama as physical—not just emotional or intellectual—with tension literally 'stretched' across the stage like a taut wire that will eventually snap at the climax.
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