plot element vs component

plot element and component both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
plot element	Yes	No	No	No
component	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, component is a hypernym of plot element; that is, component is a word with a broader meaning than plot element:

Other hypernyms of plot element include constituent, element, factor, ingredient.

plot element (noun)	component (noun)
a component or element of the plot of a story	an artifact that is one of the individual parts of which a composite entity is made up; especially a part that can be separated from or attached to a system
	an abstract part of something
	something determined in relation to something that includes it