heroic-sacrifice.source

all-the-tropes:heroic-sacrifice

Heroic Sacrifice

Laconic Playing With Quotes All Subpages Create New Nevermind this particular situation turned into a subversion . It still makes a badass illustration . "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." — John 15:13 A character does something incredibly brave and is killed , maimed, or otherwise irrevocably harmed doing it. A bad character who was once good can redeem himself in the last act by Taking the Bullet that was meant for The Hero , thus expunging all his previous evil, avoiding forcing The Hero to arrest or confront him, and avoiding any real life penalties like disgrace and jail. This is like Redemption Equals Death . In this case, the death and redemption come in a single act. There are essentially three kinds of Heroic Sacrifice : The one at the beginning of the story, which sets the tone for the rest of the tale. The one in the middle of the story, wherein the Heroic Sacrifice leads to new heights of Badass , or new depths of depression, depending on the story. Sometimes both. The one at the end of the story which serves as a Grand Finale , an example of "This character is Too Cool to Live ", or the kernel of a Downer Ending or Bittersweet Ending . The " Too Cool to Live " Heroic Sacrifice is the most common type in American movies. Often, The Hero Dies in a heroic sacrifice at the end. See Taking the Bullet , Self-Destructive Charge , You Shall Not Pass , Take Me Instead! , Someone Has to Die , Sealed Evil in a Duel , and Heroic Suicide for specific types of Heroic Sacrifice . Usually requires that a character be Not Afraid to Die . If the Heroic Sacrifice was pre-planned, it's a Self-Sacrifice Scheme . Often preceded with a Sneaky Departure from the team, or a More Hero Than Thou dispute. A Friend in Need often requires it. Contrast Villain's Dying Grace , when a dying villain decides to save a life. The Doomed Moral Victor fights a battle where the outcome is clear from the beginning. If the character has time to s

dilemma

escalation

cost

relationship change

status change

resolution

setup

crisis

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tragic

hopeful

ominous

intimate

triumphant

compatible

Badass

Bittersweet Ending

Downer Ending

Dying Moment of Awesome

Grand Finale

Killed Off for Real

Redemption Equals Death

Rule of Cool

Spoiler

Taking You with Me

Taking the Bullet

The Hero

You Shall Not Pass

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Actor: Which established person or faction could express this pattern?

Knowledge: What does that actor know or credibly believe at decision time?

Motive: Which established goal, fear, grievance, loyalty, or obligation supports it?

Trigger: What changed now, or what established pressure became intolerable?

Opportunity: When and where can the actor act despite player precautions?

Capacity: What authority, allies, access, health, time, and means are available?

Straight: express the pattern through the least unsupported effective action.

Inverted: reverse the expected beneficiary, direction, or apparent power relationship.

Subverted: establish the expectation, then let existing facts or precautions prevent its expected payoff.

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