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A trilogy is a set of three works of art that are connected and can be seen either as a single work or as three individual works. They are commonly found in literature, film, and video games, and are less common in other art forms. Three-part works that are considered components of a larger work also exist, such as the triptych or the three-movement sonata, but they are not commonly referred to with the term "trilogy".

Most trilogies are works of fiction involving the same characters or setting, such as '' The Deptford Trilogy'' of novels by Robertson Davies, '' The Apu Trilogy'' of films by Satyajit Ray, '' The House'' of a single anthology stop motion animated film, and ''The Kingdom Trilogy'' of television miniseries from 1994 to 2022 by Lars von Trier. Other fiction trilogies are connected only by theme: for example, each film of Krzysztof Kieślowski's Three Colours trilogy explores one of the political ideals of the French Republic ( liberty, equality, fraternity). Trilogies can also be connected in less obvious ways, such as '' The Nova Trilogy'' of novels by William S. Burroughs, each written using cut-up technique.

The term is seldom applied outside art. One example is the "Marshall Trilogy", a common term for three rulings written by U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall from 1823 to 1832 concerning the legal status of Native Americans under U.S. law.

Trilogies—and series in general—are common in speculative fiction.

History

Trilogies ( grc-gre, τριλογία ''trilogia'') date back to ancient times. In the Dionysia festivals of ancient Greece, for example, trilogies of plays were performed followed by a fourth satyr play. '' The Oresteia'' is the only surviving trilogy of these ancient Greek plays, originally performed at the festival in Athens in 458 BC. The three Theban plays, or Oedipus cycle, by Sophocles, originating in 5th century BC, is not a true example of a trilogy because the plays were written at separate times and with different themes/purposes.

Modern fiction trilogies were popularized by the publication of '' The Lord of the Rings'' in three volumes for economic reasons (although it was written as a single novel). In addition, technical changes in printing and film in the mid-to-late 20th century made the creation of trilogies more feasible, while the development of mass media and modern global distribution networks has made them more likely to be lucrative.

In media

Films

* Lars von Trier has occasionally referred to his films as falling into thematic and stylistic trilogies; about the apocalyptic subject matters in ''Europa'' trilogy (consists '' The Element of Crime'' (1984), '' Epidemic'' (1987), and ''Europa'' (1991)); the heroine's tragedies in ''Golden Heart'' trilogy (consists '' Breaking the Waves'' (1996), '' The Idiots'' (1998), and '' Dancer in the Dark'' (2000)); the anti-American culture in ''Land of Opportunities'' trilogy (consists '' Dogville'' (2003) and ''Manderlay'' (2005)); and the artistic imagery portrays graphic sexuality and disturbing violence in ''Depression'' trilogy (consists of '' Antichrist'' (2009), '' Melancholia'' (2011), and '' Nymphomaniac'' (2013)).
* The ''Before'' trilogy consists of three American romance films created by Richard Linklater and starring Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy, who both co-wrote the two sequels. Beginning with '' Before Sunrise'' (1995), and continuing with '' Before Sunset'' (2004) and '' Before Midnight'' (2013).
* The ''Death'' trilogy consists of three psychological drama films about the human condition and intertwined plots with different characters; '' Amores perros'' (2000), ''21 Grams'' (2003) and ''Babel'' (2006); all created by Alejandro González Iñárritu and Guillermo Arriaga.
* ''Gay Galician Dogma'' consists of three Dogme 95 films about life, love, and sex; ''Once Upon Another Time'' (2000; Dogme #22), ''Wedding Days'' (2002; Dogme #30), and '' The Outcome'' (2005; Dogme #31); all directed by Spanish filmmaker Juan Pinzás.

Music

The term is less often applied to music, such as the '' Berlin Trilogy'' of David Bowie which is linked together by musical sound and lyrical themes, all having been recorded at least partly in Berlin, Germany.

Video games

* ''Lisa'' Trilogy, was released between 2012 and 2015, developed by Dingaling Productions, with each three games (consists ''The First'', '' The Painful'', and ''The Joyful'') have different apocalyptic settings and playable protagonists, and themes of transgenerational trauma and child abuse. The first installment developed as a '' Yume Nikki''-style adventure game using RPG Maker 2003 released as freeware, while the latter two developed as more role-playing/ side-scrolling platformer hybrid genre using RPG Maker VX Ace released for cost.

Adding works to an existing trilogy

Creators of trilogies may later add more works. In such a case, the original three works may or may not keep the title "trilogy".

* The first three novels in '' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' series were dubbed a trilogy, and even after he extended the series, author Douglas Adams continued to use the term for humorous effect - for example, calling '' Mostly Harmless'' "the fifth book in the increasingly inaccurately named trilogy."
* Kevin Smith's films '' Clerks'', '' Mallrats'' and '' Chasing Amy'' were often marketed as "The New Jersey Trilogy" because they had overlapping characters, events and locations. After the release of a fourth film, ''Dogma'', the series is referred to as "the View Askewniverse".
* The ''Star Wars'' trilogy of three films released between 1977 and 1983 has since been expanded into a trilogy of trilogies: the original trilogy, the prequel trilogy released between 1999 and 2005, and the sequel trilogy released between 2015 and 2019.

See also

* List of feature film series with three entries
* Trifecta
* Tritheism

References

{{works series

Narrative forms

Literary series
Film series
Video game franchises