It’s a classic pro-wrestling trope; one member of a tag-team is taking a beating, until with a sudden burst of energy, he manages to knock his opponent off his feet. Slowly, both wrestlers crawl towards their partners. Thousands of fans are on their feet, screaming as tensions mount, because everyone knows that whoever tags his partner first, will probably determine the outcome of the match. Having survived a vicious beating, refusing to give up, their hero finally reaches the corner.

            And then it happens…as he reaches up for the tag, his partner drops down from the side of the ring and walks away leaving him at the mercy of the other wrestler’s partner.  That’s what keeps fans taking out their credit cards to buy tickets for live events and watch then on pay-per-view: drama is fueled by loyalty.

            In Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005) Anakin Skywalker is torn between his loyalty to the Jedi Knights and what they stand for, and his wife Padme, who he believes will become mortally ill. He is convinced by Supreme Chancellor Palpatine that the only way to save Padme is to pledge his allegiance to the Supreme Chancellor and learn the dark arts. The agonizing decision about where to place his loyalty is emotionally draining, both for the character on the screen and the audience sitting in theatres around the globe.

            Just as switching loyalties can create intense emotions, a character maintaining his or her loyalty can also pull at the heart strings, if there is a price to pay for that loyalty. As the story unfolds in Saving Private Ryan (1998) we learn that Tom Hank’s character is married and was a teacher before the war started.  We admire his dedication to duty and willingness to risk his life for his country, because he has so much to lose.   

            Drama is also created when a character finds that her loyalty was misplaced, and she feels that years of her life have been wasted. It might the end of a friendship, or the end of a marriage. Although it could involve personal relations, she might just as likely feel betrayed by a political party, a religious denomination, or a company. Perhaps she’s worked for the same corporation for a decade, even though she had other opportunities, and now she’s escorted out the front door by security guards during a round of lay offs. There she stands on the steps of an office tower, discarded by the company she trusted, with empty company slogans echoing in her mind.

            Since our lives revolve around loyalties, there are endless possibilities for the characters in your stories:  The married pastor of the church he attends, who he trusts for moral guidance, has been having an affair with the youth leader’s wife. Your character, who owns a small business discovers that her accountant has been stealing money from the company to pay gambling debts, and now the company is bankrupt. It’s discovered that the leader of the political party your character has been donating money to for decades, has been syphoning funds to offshore accounts.     

            Just as you ask what a character’s goals are, you can also ask where his loyalties lie. The higher the cost of loyalty, the greater the potential for drama.

Copyright © 2023 by J. Paul Cooper