History Main / ScyllaAndCharybdis

** In some versions of the myth of Jason and the Argonauts, the Argo passes through the strait as well, but rather than choose between one of the monsters, some nymphs appear and carry the Argo out of the strait safely. It helps that the gods liked Jason much more than they did Odysseus.

Caught between the [[TropeNamers Scylla and Charybdis]]\\

* ''Series/StarTrekPicard'': In "Absolute Candor", ''La Sirena'' and its crew finds itself having to fight off a Romulan Bird-of-Prey while at the same time avoiding crashing against Vashti's planetary shields or getting blown up by the planet's orbital drones.

Situation in which a character must attempt to balance or choose between two (sometimes more) mutually exclusive obligations, desires, ideals, etc.; failure on either front would be disastrous, but it's equally [[FailureIsTheOnlyOption impossible to please everyone]]. When the trope is played for laughs, HilarityEnsues as the character attempts to mollify everyone while the scheme inevitably unravels around him; it's typically subverted when the consequences of failure are revealed to be not so dire as originally believed. Often seen on chase-style cartoons where, by avoiding one foe or obstacle to a good meal, the ButtMonkey unwittingly runs into another problem (e.g. jumping into water to avoid a swarm of angry bees, only to fail to see the [[PiranhaProblem DANGER: PIRANHA]] sign behind the bushes until too late).

* In ''Literature/GhostStory'' from Literature/TheDresdenFiles, [[TheFairFolk Lea]] strikes a deal with Dresden, and gets caught in the position of having to uphold the deal, which stated that he got answers to three questions. One of those questions was "Who killed me?" Unfortunately for Lea, she also had to uphold a promise to not tell Dresden who killed him. Presumably, this promise was given to Mab. She manages to balance these two conflicting promises by using ExactWords with a healthy dose of FromACertainPointOfView.

* The 2010 version of ''VideoGame/MedalOfHonor'': [[spoiler: Rabbit and Mother]] have to choose between a [[BolivianArmyEnding gunfight against a huge number of enemies]] or [[NoEscapeButDown leaping off a high cliff]]. [[spoiler: [[LeapOfFaith Bones]] [[BadassBoast heal.]]]]
* ''[[Franchise/ResidentEvil Resident Evil: Nemesis]]'' had the QuickTimeEvent precursors to the [[ScrappyMechanic reviled]] PressXToNotDie mechanic in the later games. You'd often be given two very poor choices like either jump off the bridge or ''Punch [[ImplacableMan Nemesis]] in the face'', though sometimes doing nothing would be a distinctly third (but usually much worse) option.
* The final trial of ''VisualNovel/SuperDanganronpa2'' was constructed by the BigBad to be like this. [[spoiler:The heroes can either leave the simulation as they are while damning the world to be overrun with [[GrandTheftMe Junko-infested corpses]], go back to reality where their minds and bodies have already been destroyed by Junko while losing all their memories of the battles they fought and relationships they formed inside the simulation, or they can [[LotusEaterMachine stay in the simulation]] and [[AndIMustScream trap the 3 members of the Future Foundation who came to rescue them inside as well with Junko (who hates the 3 of them with a passion) in control forever]]. By the end of it, the protagonist refuses to make a decision]].

Caught between the [[TropeNamer Scylla and Charybdis]]\\

->''You consider me the young apprentice\\

Staring at the ring around your finger''
--> -- Music/ThePolice, "Wrapped Around Your Finger"

* In ''Literature/GhostStory'' from Literature/TheDresdenFiles, [[TheFairFolk Lea]] strikes a deal with Dresden, and gets caught in the position of having to uphold the deal, which stated that he got answers to three questions. One of those questions was "Who killed me?" Unfortunately for Lea, she also had to uphold a promise to not tell Dresden who killed him. Presumably, this promise was given to Mab. She manages to balance these two conflicting promises by using ExactWords with a healthy dose of FromACertainPointOfView.
* In Percy Jackson, the Sea of Monsters can only be entered by passing between them and [[EldritchLocation it doesn't matter where you try to enter from cuz they'll always appear in the way]].

* Damn near every single RPG ever made involves this at some point. This trope is especially abundant in Bioware titles.

* Nearly every SitCom in existence has pulled the TwoTimerDate version.

* Many {{Love Dodecahedron}}s fall into this trope, with the poor fellow in the center doomed to infuriate (potentially violently) whomever he rejects if he makes a decision. Ranma of ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'' and Tenchi of ''Anime/TenchiMuyo'' are extreme examples.

* More literally, [[http://www.cracked.com/blog/exploring-internet-in-11-days-epic-online-odyssey/ here]], Soren Bowie of ''Website/{{Cracked}}'' does a pastiche of the Internet as ''Literature/TheOdyssey''. TVTropes acts as [[TVTropesWillRuinYourLife Charybdis]], and Website/YouTube as [[{{Troll}} Scylla]].

* ''Series/{{Frasier}}'' Niles is caught between Mel and Daphne when Mel makes Niles pretend they are happily married after he runs off with Daphne. Mel won't give him a quickie divorce otherwise but Daphne almost breaks up with him due to the strain of watching Niles pretend to be in love with Mel.

[[folder:Live Action TV]]

* A very much life-and-death example in the 2008 version of ''{{Survivors}}'' where a father attempts to keep his two kids inside their house, fearing any contact with the outside might land them with the virus (which they have not yet come into contact with). The daughter refuses to stay in this existence, though, and escapes, to be shut out by her dad. Eventually it boils down to a choice, posed by two of the main characters who take the daughter temporarily under their wing: either risk leaving the effective imprisonment in their own home and risk exposure to the virus, or stay inside and eventually starve to death when all the food runs out.

** Another ''Raymond'' example: At one point, Debra runs for president of the Parent-Teacher Association at their kids' school opposite [[SitcomArchNemesis long-time arch-rival]] Parker. Although Raymond loves Debra and hates Parker, he realizes that Parker would make a better president (Debra reacts by stomping on everyone's jackets--crushing Robert's cell phone in the process--and rather ridiculously comparing Ray to antebellum slaveholders).

* ASongOfIceAndFire has Jaime Lannister, who gets no small amount of grief from the mutually exclusive demands of knighthood and the oaths it brings. You swear to serve and protect the king, defend the people and respect your father. So what do you do when the king is at war with your father and intends to massacre his subjects?