Fatal imprudence

Disciplines > Storytelling > Plots > Polti's Situations > Fatal imprudence

Description | Discussion | See also

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Description

Elements

• The Imprudent
• The Victim
• or the Object Lost

Summary

The Imprudent person loses an Object or causes harm to the Victim through unthinking imprudence, curiosity and general carelessness.

Variants

A

1. Imprudence the cause of one's own misfortune
2. Imprudence the cause of one's own dishonor

B

1. Curiosity the cause of one's own misfortune
2. Loss of possession of a loved one through curiosity

C

1. Curiosity the cause of death or misfortune to others
2. Imprudence the cause of a relative's death
3. Imprudence the cause of a lover's death
4. Credulity the cause of kinsmen's deaths
5. Credulity the cause of misfortune

Discussion

'Curiosity killed the cat' is a common saying and reflects the way in which, when we become interested in something, we sometimes forget the risks and hazards that we may be taking when putting our noses in harm's way.

When we see others being imprudent, whether in real life or in stories, we tut-tut and feel a bit superior to them. We also may remember that 'there before the Grace of God go I', in that it is easy for what may seem a harmless activity turn into something where we or others may get hurt or even killed.

'Fatal imprudence' is the 17th of Georges Polti's 36 Dramatic Situations.

See also

Theories about decision-making