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Murderous adultery

Disciplines > Storytelling > Plots > Polti's Situations > Murderous adultery

Description | Discussion | See also

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Description

Elements

Two Adulterers
A Betrayed Spouse

Summary

Adultery turns to violence as an Adulterer seeks to remove the Spouse or turns on the other Adulterer.

Variants

Slaying of a husband by, or for, a paramour
Slaying of a trusted lover

Slaying of a wife for a paramour, and in self-interest

Discussion

Adultery is a socially disapproved-of activity in most cultures and generally creates much sympathy for the betrayed.

Normal adultery can turn worse when the emotions aroused, including guilt, can lead an adulterer into even worse acts. When a person is already cast as bad and guilty, they may either believe the accusation and act in an evil way, or they may think 'In for a penny, in for a pound' and dispense with consideration of normal values.

Denial of the wrong-doing may also lead the person into argument and displacement of their bad deed onto the spouse, who pays the ultimate and terrible price.

The watcher of this story may hardly believe their eyes, yet know that this kind of thing does happen in reality as once-normal people sink into dark and evil acts. This is hardly the act of a hero, but may well give the hero something of a quest in bringing vengeance or justice to the murderer.

'Murderous adultery' is the 15th of Georges Polti's 36 Dramatic Situations.