04_Biblica_1_A_Ossandon_Layout 1 13/11/12 11:38 Pagina 388 388 JUAN CARLOS OSSANDÓN This is why the classical stages of a plot do not fit perfectly the Gospel narratives. Therefore, it is more practical to start by a divi- sion of the episode according to its scenes following the model of Greek tragedy. A change of scene takes place when one or more characters go out and others come in 29. According to this criterion, Mark 10,46-52 is easily divided into four scenes, preceded by a presentation and followed by the de- scription of the final situation: 1) 10,46, stage setting; 2) 10,47-48, beginning of the action, tension between Bartimaeus and the crowd; 3) 10,49a, Jesus and the crowd; 4) 10,49b, Bartimaeus and the crowd; 5) 10,50-52a, Bartimaeus and Jesus; 6) 10,52bc, final situation. Notwithstanding its simplicity, this structure immediately high- lights two points: the story moves around Jesus and Bartimaeus; and the last scene must be the most important, because it describes the final meeting between the main characters 30. The next step is to exhibit the plot’s development, or rather to explain how the two plots are combined. 1. Plot of Resolution At first sight, the narrative appears to be a plot of resolution. Let us see succinctly its stages. Mark 10,46 constitutes the presentation. The reader receives in- formation about the characters and their situation. No plot is gener- ated, because no “narrative program” ― that is, an action which requires a reaction ― remains pending. The arrival in Jericho does 29 In Greek tragedy, “the most common way to break up an episode into smaller parts was through exit and entrance of characters, dividing an episode into what we might call discrete scenes”, M.R. HALLERAN, “Episodes”, A Com- panion to Greek Tragedy (ed. J. GREGORY) (Malden 2008) 167-182, here 168. 30 A similar structure is proposed by W. KIRCHSCHLÄGER, “Bartimäus - Para- digma einer Wundererzählung (Mk 10,46-52 par)”, The Four Gospels 1992. FS Frans Neirynck (eds. F. VAN SEGBROECK ‒ C.M. TUCKETT ‒ G. VAN BELLE ‒ J. VERHEYDEN) (BETL 100; Leuven 1992) 1105-1123, here 1109-1110.