Published first in a french book written by french writer Georges Polti, it was meant to categorize every possible situation which might occur in anything from a poem to a play. The list came about after extensive studies of Greek texts, french literature, as well as non-french literature. Polti claimed to continue the work of Carlo Gozzi, who had also, himself, found these thirty-six situations.

(on tumblr)

• Supplication
  • Required Elements: a Persecutor; a Suppliant; a Power in authority whose decision is doubtful
  • The Persecutor accuses the Suppliant of wrongdoing, and the Power makes a judgement against the Suppliant.
• Deliverance
  • Required Elements: an Unfortunate; a Threatener; a Rescuer
  • The Unfortunate has caused a conflict, and the Threatener is to carry out justice, but the Rescuer saves the Unfortunate.
• Crime
  • Required Elements: a Criminal; an Avenger
  • The Criminal commits a crime that will not see justice, so the Avenger seeks justice by punishing the Criminal.
• Vengeance Taken for Kin upon Kin
  • Required Elements: Guilty Kinsman; an Avenging Kinsman; remembrance of the Victim, a relative of both
  • Two entities, the Guilty and the Avenging Kinsmen, are put into conflict over wrongdoing to the Victim, who is allied to both.
• Pursuit
  • Required Elements: Punishment; a Fugitive
  • The Fugitive flees Punishment for a misunderstood conflict.
• Disaster
  • Required Elements: a Vanquished Power; a Victorious Enemy or a Messenger
  • The Power falls from their place after being defeated by the Victorious Enemy or being informed of such a defeat by the Messenger
• Falling Prey to Cruelty/Misfortune
  • Required Elements: an Unfortunate; a Master or a Misfortune
  • The Unfortunate suffers from Misfortune and/or at the hands of the Master
• Revolt
  • Required Elements: a Tyrant; a Conspirator
  • The Tyrant, a cruel power, is plotted against by the Conspirator.
• Daring Enterprise
  • Required Elements: a Bold Leader; an Object; an Adversary
  • The Bold Leader takes the Object from the Adversary by overpowering the Adversary
• Abduction
  • Required Elements: an Abductor; the Abducted; a Guardian
  • The Abductor takes the Abducted from the Guardian.
• The Enigma
  • Required Elements: a Problem; an Interrogator; a Seeker
  • The Interrogator poses a Problem to the Seeker and gives a Seeker better ability to reach the Seeker’s goals.
• Obtaining
  • Required Elements: [a Solicitor & an Adversary who is refusing] or [an Arbitrator & Opposing Parties] + an Object
  • [The Solicitor is at odds with the Adversary who refuses to give the Solicitor the Object in the possession of the Adversary] or [The Arbitrator decides who gets the Object desired by Opposing Parties]
• Enmity of Kin
  • Required Elements: a Malevolent Kinsman; a Hatred or a reciprocally-hating Kinsman
  • The Malevolent Kinsman and the Hated or a second Malevolent Kinsman conspire together
• Rivalry of Kin
  • Required Elements: the Preferred Kinsman; the Rejected Kinsman; the Object of Rivalry
  • The Object of Rivalry chooses the Preferred Kinsman over the Rejected Kinsman
• Murderous Adultery
  • Required Elements: two Adulterers; a Betrayed Spouse
  • Two Adulterers conspire to killed the Betrayed Spouse
• Madness
  • Required Elements: a Madman; a Victim
  • The Madman goes insane and wrongs the Victim
• Fatal Imprudence
  • Required Elements: the Imprudent; a Victim or an Object Lost
  • The Imprudent, by neglect or ignorance, loses the Object Lost or wrongs the Victim
• Involuntary Crimes of Love
  • Required Elements: a Lover; a Beloved; a Revealer
  • The Revealer betrays the trust of either the Lover or the Beloved
• Slaying of Kin Unrecognized
  • Required Elements: the Slayer; and Unrecognized Victim
  • The Slayer kills the Unrecognized Victim
• Self-sacrifice for an Ideal
  • Required Elements: a Hero; an Ideal; a Creditor or a Person/Thing sacrificed
  • The Hero sacrifices the Person or Thing for their Ideal, which is then taken by the Creditor
• Self-sacrifice for Kin
  • Required Elements: a Hero; a Kinsman; a Creditor or a Person/Thing sacrificed
  • The Hero sacrifices a Person or Thing for their Kinsman, which is then taken by the Creditor
• All Sacrificed for Passion
  • Required Elements: a Lover; an Object of fatal Passion; the Person/Thing sacrificed
  • A Lover sacrifices a Person or Thing for the Object of their Passion, which is then lost forever.
• Necessity of Sacrificing Loved Ones
  • Required Elements: a Hero; a Beloved Victim; the Necessity for their Sacrifice
  • The Hero wrongs the Beloved Victim because of the Necessity for their Sacrifice
• Rivalry of Superior vs. Inferior
  • Required Elements: a Superior Rival; an Inferior Rival; the Object of Rivalry
  • A Superior Rival bests an Inferior Rival and wins the Object of Rivalry
• Adultery
  • Required Elements: two Adulterers; a Deceived Spouse
  • Two Adulterers conspire against the Deceived Spouse.
• Crimes of Love
  • Required Elements: a Lover; the Beloved
  • A Lover and the Beloved enter a conflict.
• Discovery of the Dishonour of a loved one
  • Required Elements: a Discoverer; the Guilty One
  • The Discoverer discovers the wrongdoing committed by the Guilty One.
• Obstacles to Love
  • Required Elements: two Lovers; an Obstacle
  • Two Lovers face an Obstacle together.
• An Enemy Loved
  • Required Elements: a Lover; the Beloved Enemy; the Hater
  • The allied Lover and Hater have diametrically opposed attitudes towards the Beloved Enemy.
• Ambition
  • Required Elements: an Ambitious Person; a Thing Coveted; an Adversary
  • The Ambitious Person seeks the Thing Coveted and is opposed by the Adversary.
• Conflict with a God
  • Required Elements: a Mortal; an Immortal
  • The Mortal and the Immortal enter a conflict.
• Mistaken Jealousy
  • Required Elements: a Jealous One; an Object of whose Possession He is Jealous; a Supposed Accomplice; a Cause or an Author of the Mistake
  • 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.
• Erroneous Judgement
  • Required Elements: a Mistaken One; a Victim of the Mistake; a Cause or Author of the Mistake; the Guilty One
  • The Mistaken One falls victim to the Cause or the Author of the Mistake and passes judgement against the Victim of the Mistake, when it should be passed against the Guilty One instead.
• Remorse
  • Required Elements: a Culprit; a Victim or the Sin; an Interrogator
  • The Culprit wrongs the Victim or commits the Sin, and is at odds with the Interrogator who seeks to understand the situation.
• Recovery of a Lost One
  • Required Elements: a Seeker; the One Found
  • The Seeker finds the One Found.
• Loss of Loved One
  • Required Elements: a Kinsman Slain; a Kinsman Spectator; an Executioner
  • The killing of the Kinsman Slain by the Executioner is witnessed by the Kinsman Spectator.