A tetralogy (from Greek τετρα- ''

tetra- Numeral or number prefixes are prefixes derived from numerals or occasionally other numbers. In English and many other languages, they are used to coin numerous series of words. For example: * triangle, quadrilateral, pentagon, hexagon, o ...

'', "four" and -λογία ''-logia'', "discourse") is a compound work that is made up of four distinct works. The name comes from the

Attic An attic (sometimes referred to as a '' loft'') is a space found directly below the pitched roof of a house or other building. It is also known as a ''sky parlor'' or a garret. Because they fill the space between the ceiling of a building's t ...

theater, in which a tetralogy was a group of three tragedies followed by a

satyr play The satyr play is a form of Attic theatre performance related to both comedy and tragedy. It preserves theatrical elements of dialogue, actors speaking verse, a chorus that dances and sings, masks and costumes. Its relationship to tragedy is st ...

, all by one author, to be played in one sitting at the Dionysia as part of a competition.

Examples

Literature

* Tetrateuch is a sometime name for the first four books of the Bible. The Tetrateuch plus

Deuteronomy Deuteronomy (; ) is the fifth book of the Torah (in Judaism), where it is called () which makes it the fifth book of the Hebrew Bible and Christian Old Testament. Chapters 1–30 of the book consist of three sermons or speeches delivered to ...

are collectively referred to as the Pentateuch. * ''Tintitives'' by Antiphon of Rhamnus; the author was an orator, and ''Tintitives'' is a kind of textbook for students. Each book consists of four speeches: the prosecutor's opening speech, the first speech for the defense, the prosecutor's reply, and the defendant's conclusion. Three of his tetralogies are known to have survived. * The traditional arrangement of the works of

Plato Plato ( ; Greek language, Greek: , ; born BC, died 348/347 BC) was an ancient Greek philosopher of the Classical Greece, Classical period who is considered a foundational thinker in Western philosophy and an innovator of the writte ...

into nine tetralogies, including some doubtful works, and the Letters as a single work. * The ''

Henriad In Shakespearean scholarship, the Henriad refers to a group of William Shakespeare's Shakespearean history, history plays depicting the rise of the English kings. It is sometimes used to refer to a group of four plays (a tetralogy), but some s ...

'', two tetralogies of history plays of

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

. The First Tetralogy in order of composition begins with the three Henry VI plays. The Second Tetralogy finishes with the history of Henry V.

Modern

Films

* ''Airport'' (1970, 1974, 1977, 1979) * '' The Avengers'' (2012, 2015, 2018, 2019) * '' Thor'' (2011, 2013, 2017, 2022) * '' Bad Boys'' (1995, 2003, 2020, 2024) * ''

Batman Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on M ...

'' (1989, 1992, 1995, 1997) * '' Bridget Jones'' (2001, 2004, 2016, 2025) * '' No Through Road (web series)'' (2009, 2011, 2012, 2012) * '' Diary of a Wimpy Kid'' (2010, 2011, 2012, 2017) * '' Insidious'' (2010, 2013, 2015, 2018) * '' Ip Man'' (2008, 2010, 2015, 2019) * '' Jaws'' (1975, 1978, 1983, 1987) * '' John Wick'' (2014, 2017, 2019, 2023) * '' My Little Pony: Equestria Girls'' (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016) * '' Men in Black'' (1997, 2002, 2012, 2019) * '' Night at the Museum'' (2006, 2009, 2014, 2022) * '' Rebuild of Evangelion'' (2007, 2009, 2012, 2021) * '' Rec'' (2007, 2009, 2012, 2014) * '' The Crow'' (1994, 1996, 2000, 2005) * ''

The Hunger Games ''The Hunger Games'' are a series of Young adult fiction, young adult Dystopian fiction, dystopian novels written by American author Suzanne Collins. The series consists of a trilogy that follows teenage protagonist Katniss Everdeen, and two ...

'' (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015) * '' The Matrix'' (1999, 2003, 2003, 2021) * ''

Superman Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...

'' (1978, 1980, 1983, 1987) * ''

Alvin and the Chipmunks Alvin and the Chipmunks, originally David Seville and the Chipmunks and billed for their first two decades as the Chipmunks, are an American animated virtual band and media franchise first created by Ross Bagdasarian for Novelty records in ...

'' (2007, 2009, 2011, 2015) * '' The Expendables'' (2010, 2012, 2014, 2023) * '' Jurassic World'' (2015, 2018, 2022, 2025) * ''

Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the Star Trek: The Original Series, series of the same name and became a worldwide Popular culture, pop-culture Cultural influence of ...

'' (2009, 2013, 2016, TBA) * ''Heronics'' (2024, 2025, 2025, TBA)

Animated franchises

* '' Hotel Transylvania'' (2012–2022) * '' Kung Fu Panda'' (2008–2024) * '' Despicable Me'' (2010–2024) * '' Lilo & Stitch'' (2002–2006)

Video games

Other information

In the

early modern period The early modern period is a Periodization, historical period that is defined either as part of or as immediately preceding the modern period, with divisions based primarily on the history of Europe and the broader concept of modernity. There i ...

of literature,

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

drafted a pair of tetralogies, the first consisting of the three '' Henry VI'' plays and ''

Richard III Richard III (2 October 1452 – 22 August 1485) was King of England from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the Plantagenet dynasty and its cadet branch the House of York. His defeat and death at the Battle of Boswor ...

'', and the second, what we now call a prequel because it is set earlier, consisting of '' Richard II'', the two '' Henry IV'' plays, and '' Henry V''. As an alternative to "tetralogy", "quartet" is sometimes used, particularly for series of four books. The term "quadrilogy", using the

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

prefix

quadri- Numeral or number prefixes are prefixes derived from numerals or occasionally other numbers. In English and many other languages, they are used to coin numerous series of words. For example: *triangle, quadrilateral, pentagon, hexagon, octago ...

instead of the Greek, and first recorded in 1865,Simpson, J.A., and Weiner, E.S.C. (eds.) ''The Oxford English Dictionary.'' 2nd ed. 1989. Oxford. Clarendon Press. "quadri-" has also been used for marketing the '' Alien'' movies.

References

{{works series Tetralogies Literary tetralogies Literary series Musical forms Narrative forms