The pyramid starts off with exposition of the play. It is also here that stasis of the play is introduced to the reader. The beginning of The Zoo Story starts off with Jerry talking to Peter and thereby disrupting Peter’s routine Sunday reading. If Jerry had not went up to Peter, Peter would still have continue to his reading like he normally would every day. Therefore, the stasis of this play is not shown to the reader. Instead the readers would have to assume that Peter does goes to the bench every Sunday to read. Or perhaps, in more general sense, it’s safe to assume that the stasis would be how Peter or Jerry go about their days. We could imagine that Peter would still be an ordinary civilian and Jerry would still be in the pursuit of his suicide or still be trying to find a way to go around his landlady’s dog.
The intrusion of the play breaks the balance of the stasis and leads the play into rising action of the pyramid. The intrusion of The Zoo Story is when Jerry talks to Peter. In other words, Albee started this play off with an intrusion. It is arguable that this particular moment should also be categorize as the stasis of the play. Albee written this in a way that is interpretable to the readers. But that idea is incorrect and Albee confusingly deluded his readers. In “Backwards and Forwards” by David Ball, it is stated in page 31 “A character talks to maneuver another character or characters in such a way that the obstacle to the want is removed.” Jerry wants to die, but the obstacle that hinders his death is his murderer or how Jerry chooses to die. Jerry could have tried to kill himself prior to the beginning of the play. Yet, at this particular instance, when Jerry meet with Peter, Peter have already been chosen to become the murder. It is evident that Jerry talks to Peter for the remaining of the play because Jerry wanted something from Peter, which is for Peter to murder Jerry. Peter becomes Jerry’s murder because that’s what Jerry planned. Referring back to Ball, “Stasis comes about at the close of the play when major forces of the play either get what they want or are forced to stop trying.” Jerry got what he wanted, which is someone to murder him, and that someone is Peter at the start of the play. Therefore, the moment when Jerry talks to Peter is the point of intrusion and not part of the stasis.
The rising action of the play is from the beginning to the moment when Peter and Jerry physically fight, which is in page 25 after Jerry said “So be it!” Near the tip of the climax but also part of the rising action is the complication. The instant when Peter gets annoyed with Jerry’s punches, the tone of the play very rapidly turns into aggressive and serious. It is the change of Peter’s attitude that Jerry was able to taunt him and to manipulate Peter. Up until this moment, Peter have been very passive and tolerant of Jerry. Peter listens to everything that Jerry says and absorbs all the information. It is this crucial moment that fires the play into its climax. Peter said “I can’t move over any more, and stop hitting me. What’s the matter with you?” This is the first time in the play that Peter begins to question and rebel against Jerry. It could be considered that this is the turning point within the rising action.
The climax of the play is the fight between Peter and Jerry, resulting in Peter stabbing Jerry, which is in the narration of page 25. This is also the peripeteia of both the characters. Peter will forever live with the guilt of killing someone and Jerry finally got his desired suicide. The falling action is the last conversation between Peter and Jerry. While the denouement is the very last breath of Jerry. Albee specifically informs the reader that Jerry is dead. Therefore it ties the loose ends of the characters. Peter flee from the scene and Jerry laying lifeless on the bench.
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