Polti’s 36 Dramatic Situations – Examples

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  1. Supplication
    •  Supplicant, persecutor, and powerful decision maker/authority whose decision is doubtful
      • The Wizard of Oz (1939)
        • Dorothy asks the Wizard of Oz for help in returning home to escape the Wicked Witch of the West.
  2. Deliverance
    • Threatened, threatener, rescuer
      • Spiderman (2002)
        • Spiderman saves Mary Jane from the balcony collapse caused by Green Goblin
  3. Vengeance of a crime
    • The Avenger, the criminal
      • Kill Bill Vol 1 (2003) and Kill Bill Vol 2 (2004)
        • The Bride seeks vengeance on Bill and the other assassins that attempted to murder her on her wedding day and caused the supposed miscarriage of her child by killing them
  4. Vengeance taken for kindred upon kindred
    • Avenging family member, victim family member, guilty family member
      • The Lion King (1994)
        • Simba takes on Scar who killed his father, Mufasa, by throwing him into a rushing herd
  5. Pursuit
    • Punishment, the fugitive
  6. Disaster
  7. Falling prey to cruelty or misfortune
    • A misfortunate, misfortune or master of misfortune
      • Misery (1990)
        • Paul Sheldon is rescued from a horrific car crash by his biggest fan, Annie, only to be kept captive and abused by her
  8. Revolt
    • Conspirator, tyrant
      • The Matrix (1999)
        • Neo, Morpheus and Trinity battle the machine race and their oppressive programmes to save humanity
  9. Daring enterprise
    • Bold leader, object or objective, adversary
      • Saving Private Ryan (1998)
        • Captain John Miller takes his men behind enemy lines during the second world war to find Private James Ryan whose brothers have been killed in combat, but they face enemy forces
  10. Abduction
    • An abductor, the abducted, guardian figure/rescuer
      • Spiderman 3 (2007)
        • Venom kidnaps Mary Jane knowing that Spiderman, the real target, will come to her rescue
  11. Enigma
    • An interrogator, a seeker, a problem
      • Se7en (1995)
        • A serial killer leaves clues for two homicide detectives working to solve a series of murders
  12. Obtaining
    • A solicitor, an adversary OR an arbitrator, disagreeing party
      • There Will Be Blood (2007)
        • Daniel Plainview, an oil tycoon, wants to take over an undiscovered oil reserve under a small community of homeowners, one of whom is Eli who is in direct opposition
  13. Enmity of kinsmen
  14. Rivalry of kinsmen
    • Family member, family member/s
      • Thor (2011)
        • Thor, son of Odin and adopted brother Loki fight over their relationship with their father and what power they recieve from it
  15. Murderous adultery
    • Two adulterers, betrayed partner
      • American Beauty (1999)
        • Married Lester Burnham and his daughter’s best friend Angela start a secret affair. His wife, at the end, shoots him in the head.
  16. Madness
  17. Fatal imprudence
  18. Involuntary crimes of love
  19. Slaying of a kinsman unrecognised
  20. Self-sacrificing for an ideal
  21. Self-sacrifice for kindred
  22. All sacrificed for a passion
  23. Necessity of sacrificing loved ones
  24. Rivalry of superior and inferior
  25. Adultery
  26. Crimes of love
  27. Discovery of the dishonour of a loved one
  28. Obstacles to love
  29. An enemy loved
  30. Ambition
  31. Conflict with a god
  32. Mistaken jealousy
  33. Erroneous judgement
  34. Remorse
  35. Recovery of a lost one
  36. Loss of loved ones

Source: http://www.changingminds.org/disciplines/storytelling/plots/polti_situations/polti_situations.htm

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