Plot Type: Necessity of sacrificing loved ones

Necessity of sacrificing loved ones

Character types:

Hero
Beloved Victim

Basic Synopsis: The basic structural foundation for this plot is the necessity for the sacrifice. This is a plot where the hero is a hero because of their sacrifice of a loved one - perhaps it is the king who sacrifices his beloved daughter to marry an evil tyrant to save the people of his kingdom, or (using the Bible as an example) the parent that sacrifices a beloved child out of religious devotion or the sacrifice of one's daughters to protect guests in the home from others. The trick in this plot type is in showing that the hero does not make the sacrifice lightly, the anguish of having to make such a decision being clear to the reader.