The Thirty-Six Dramatic Situations: An Anatomy of Storytelling

Georges Polti's classic analysis of tragic drama consists of thirty-six scenarios, with numerous examples given in support of the described plot structures.

Compared against modern analysis of storytelling, Polti's system is relatively brief and light on complexity. A system is devised, whereby the major roles are defined in brackets at the beginning of each scenario. Their place and instrumental value to a story is explained, and within many of the thirty-six variations are certain subtypes depending on the exact plotting and characterizations given. Most of the variations described have one or several example theatrical plays, taken from Greek drama of antiquity or modern European works, as well as certain dramas of India and wider Asia.

Although Polti's division of the dramatic situations might appear constrictive, he is clear that dramas are porous and can span more than one of the tragic circumstances described. While some fine tragedies were composed with excellent simplicity, others span multiple scenarios deftly as a kind of calamitous tour de force. Conceived as an aid for authors and playwrights in planning their stories, Polti's treatment has been much-consulted for more than a century.