The Thirty Six Dramatic Situations

Publication history

This list was published in a book of the same name, which contains extended explanations and examples. The original French-language book was written in the 19th century. An English translation was published in 1916 and continues to be reprinted to this day.

The list is popularized as an aid for writers, but it is also used by dramatists, storytellers and many others. Other similar lists have since been made.

The 36 situations

Each situation is stated, then followed by the necessary elements for each situation and a brief description.

1. Supplication
2. a persecutor; a suppliant; a power in authority, whose decision is doubtful.
3. The suppliant appeals to the power in authority for deliverance from the persecutor.
4. Deliverance
5. an unfortunate; a threatener; a rescuer
6. The unfortunate has caused a conflict, and the threatener is to carry out justice, but the rescuer saves the unfortunate. Example: Ifigenia in Tauride
7. Crime pursued by vengeance
8. a criminal; an avenger
9. The criminal commits a crime that will not see justice, so the avenger seeks justice by punishing the criminal. Example: The Count of Monte Cristo
10. Vengeance taken for kin upon kin
11. Guilty Kinsman; an Avenging Kinsman; remembrance of the Victim, a relative of both.
12. Two entities, the Guilty and the Avenging Kinsmen, are put into conflict over wrongdoing to the Victim, who is allied to both. Example: Hamlet
13. Pursuit
14. punishment; a fugitive
15. the fugitive flees punishment for a misunderstood conflict. Example: Les Misérables
16. Disaster
17. a vanquished power; a victorious enemy or a messenger
18. The vanquished power falls from their place after being defeated by the victorious enemy or being informed of such a defeat by the messenger. Example: Agamemnon (play)
19. Falling prey to cruelty/misfortune
20. an unfortunate; a master or a misfortune
21. The unfortunate suffers from misfortune and/or at the hands of the master. Example: Job (biblical figure)
22. Revolt
23. a tyrant; a conspirator
24. The tyrant, a cruel power, is plotted against by the conspirator. Example: Julius Caesar (play)
25. Daring enterprise
26. a bold leader; an object; an adversary
27. The bold leader takes the object from the adversary by overpowering the adversary. Example: Queste del Saint Graal
28. Abduction
29. an abductor; the abducted; a guardian
30. The abductor takes the abducted from the guardian. Example: Helen of Troy
31. The enigma
32. a problem; an interrogator; a seeker
33. The interrogator poses a problem to the seeker and gives a seeker better ability to reach the seeker's goals. Example: Oedipus and the Sphinx
34. Obtaining
35. (a Solicitor & an adversary who is refusing) or (an arbitrator & opposing parties)
36. The solicitor is at odds with the adversary who refuses to give the solicitor an object in the possession of the adversary, or an arbitrator decides who gets the object desired by opposing parties (the solicitor and the adversary). Example: Apple of Discord
37. Enmity of kin
38. a Malevolent Kinsman; a Hated or a reciprocally-hating Kinsman
39. The Malevolent Kinsman and the Hated or a second Malevolent Kinsman conspire together. Example: As You Like It
40. Rivalry of kin
41. the Preferred Kinsman; the Rejected Kinsman; the Object of Rivalry
42. The Object of Rivalry chooses the Preferred Kinsman over the Rejected Kinsman. Example: Wuthering Heights
43. Murderous adultery
44. two Adulterers; a Betrayed Spouse
45. Two Adulterers conspire to kill the Betrayed Spouse. Example: Clytemnestra and Aegisthus
46. Madness
47. a Madman; a Victim
48. The Madman goes insane and wrongs the Victim.
49. Fatal imprudence
50. the Imprudent; a Victim or an Object Lost
51. The Imprudent, by neglect or ignorance, loses the Object Lost or wrongs the Victim.
52. Involuntary crimes of love
53. a Lover; a Beloved; a Revealer
54. The Lover and the Beloved have unknowningly broken a taboo through their romantic relationship, and the Revealer reveals this to them Example: Oedipus, Jocasta and the messenger from Corinth.
55. Slaying of kin unrecognized
56. the Slayer; an Unrecognized Victim
57. The Slayer kills the Unrecognized Victim. Example: Oedipus and Laius
58. Self-sacrifice for an ideal
59. a Hero; an Ideal; a Creditor or a Person/Thing sacrificed
60. The Hero sacrifices the Person or Thing for their Ideal, which is then taken by the Creditor.
61. Self-sacrifice for kin
62. a Hero; a Kinsman; a Creditor or a Person/Thing sacrificed
63. The Hero sacrifices a Person or Thing for their Kinsman, which is then taken by the Creditor.
64. All sacrificed for passion
65. a Lover; an Object of fatal Passion; the Person/Thing sacrificed
66. A Lover sacrifices a Person or Thing for the Object of their Passion, which is then lost forever.
67. Necessity of sacrificing loved ones
68. a Hero; a Beloved Victim; the Necessity for the Sacrifice
69. The Hero wrongs the Beloved Victim because of the Necessity for their Sacrifice.
70. Rivalry of superior vs. inferior
71. a Superior Rival; an Inferior Rival; the Object of Rivalry
72. A Superior Rival bests an Inferior Rival and wins the Object of Rivalry.
73. Adultery
74. two Adulterers; a Deceived Spouse
75. Two Adulterers conspire against the Deceived Spouse.
76. Crimes of love
77. a Lover; the Beloved
78. A Lover and the Beloved break a taboo by initiating a romantic relationship Example: Sigmund and his sister in The Valkyrie
79. Discovery of the dishonour of a loved one
80. a Discoverer; the Guilty One
81. The Discoverer discovers the wrongdoing committed by the Guilty One.
82. Obstacles to love
83. two Lovers; an Obstacle
84. Two Lovers face an Obstacle together. Example: Romeo and Juliet
85. An enemy loved
86. a Lover; the Beloved Enemy; the Hater
87. The allied Lover and Hater have diametrically opposed attitudes towards the Beloved Enemy.
88. Ambition
89. an Ambitious Person; a Thing Coveted; an Adversary
90. The Ambitious Person seeks the Thing Coveted and is opposed by the Adversary. Example: Macbeth
91. Conflict with a god
92. a Mortal; an Immortal
93. The Mortal and the Immortal enter a conflict.
94. Mistaken jealousy
95. a Jealous One; an Object of whose Possession He is Jealous; a Supposed Accomplice; a Cause or an Author of the Mistake
96. The Jealous One falls victim to the Cause or the Author of the Mistake and becomes jealous of the Object and becomes conflicted with the Supposed Accomplice.
97. Erroneous judgment
98. a Mistaken One; a Victim of the Mistake; a Cause or Author of the Mistake; the Guilty One
99. The Mistaken One falls victim to the Cause or the Author of the Mistake and passes judgment against the Victim of the Mistake when it should be passed against the Guilty One instead.
100. Remorse
101. a Culprit; a Victim or the Sin; an Interrogator
102. The Culprit wrongs the Victim or commits the Sin, and is at odds with the Interrogator who seeks to understand the situation.
103. Recovery of a lost one
104. a Seeker; the One Found
105. The Seeker finds the One Found.
106. Loss of loved ones
107. a Kinsman Slain; a Kinsman Spectator; an Executioner
108. The killing of the Kinsman Slain by the Executioner is witnessed by the Kinsman