History Main / DramaticShattering

-->NEVER EVER give a fragile cup to anyone with psychic powers. You're only going to end up minus one cup and pissing off the janitor.

-->-- '''SFDebris''' Signs and Portents Review. http://blip.tv/sf-debris-opinionated-reviews/b5-signs-and-portents-review-4697146

Compare SuperWindowJump (awesomely breaking glass to herald one's appearance or retreat), RageAgainstTheReflection, AGlassInTheHand, GlassShatteringSound.

* Alice, in ''[[{{Twilight}} Breaking Dawn]]''.

* ''WhoFramedRogerRabbit''. What happens when Roger gives off his glass-breaking "steam whistle".

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<<|DramaTropes|>>

Sometimes caused by a GlassShatteringSound. Compare SuperWindowJump (awesomely breaking glass to herald one's appearance or retreat) and RageAgainstTheReflection. AGlassInTheHand is a variation of this.

Compare SuperWindowJump (awesomely breaking glass to herald one's appearance or retreat) and RageAgainstTheReflection. AGlassInTheHand is a variation of this.

-> '''Lily''': "You broke your little ships."
-->-- StarTrekFirstContact

A SubTrope of RuleOfDrama.

* In an episode of ''PrincessTutu'', Fakir smashes through a window in order to confront the DarkMagicalGirl. (Mytho, however, just decided to use the door.)
* In ''{{Hellsing}}'', the Major deliberately drops a glass of champagne after [[AGlassOfChianti dedicating a toast]] to [[spoiler: the impending attack on London by Millenium]].

* The Big Lebowski borrows this when the Dude confronts the police chief of Malibu, with the dramatic shattering taking place on EL Duderino's head.

* The "Captain Ahab and his whale" scene from ''StarTrekFirstContact'', in which Captain Picard loses his temper, shouts a BigNo, and smashes the glass case holding his models of previous enterprises. The camera even holds for an extra moment on the model of the ship from the television series sliding off of the shelf before it hits the ground.

* TheMovie of Film/{{Watchmen}} does this: when Laurie [[spoiler:figures out The Comedian was her father,]] she freaks out and punches a pillar of John's Martian glass palace, which leads to ''the whole structure'' shattering around them. [[RuleOfCool It's pretty awesome.]]
** It happens in the book as well, only she throws a bottle of perfume against the palace, which of course shatters as well.

* Played for laughes in the George of the Jungle movie. Ursula, the heroine, nervously reveals to her parents - during a reception held for her and her fiance - that she no longer wishes to get married. Her parents respond with a cheery, "That's OK, dear. We understand." The Narrator then quips, "Just kidding!" before Ursula's mother lets out a harrowing scream and promptly drops her wine glass, shattering it on the floor.
* In the extended edition of [[TheLordOfTheRings Return of the King]], when Aragorn gets into a Palantír staring match with Sauron and the latter shows him a taunting vision of a dying/dead Arwen, the Evenstar pendant she gifted him with falls to the floor and shatters very prettily and dramatically into glittering bits - which rather begs the question of what the heck it was made of.

* Alice, in ''[[{{Twilight}} Breaking Dawn]].''

[[folder:Live Action TV]]

** ''{{Persona 4}}'' used basically the same motif and sound effect, except that instead of their minds breaking via gunshot, the Tarot cards symbolizing the character's Persona would fly apart when struck by his or her WeaponOfChoice. The Protagonist's "mind shattering like glass while changing Personas" part was removed, however, and only the sound effect remained.

* Chapter 8 of ''GunnerkriggCourt'' starts with a FlashBack to a glass of water falling and shattering.

<<|DramaTropes|>>

** He also does it in ''IWantToBeTheGuy''. [[spoiler: Just like everything else in the game, the wine glass can kill you.]]

[[folder:Manga and Anime]]
* The first opening of ''DeathNote'' has a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment where a glass statue of Light falls to the ground and breaks.
* As far as intentional breaking goes, in ''GaoGaiGar'' they have Break In Case Of MonsterOfTheWeek glass covering a button as part of the over-the-top emphasis.
** The connector for the [[DropTheHammer Goldion]] [[{{BFS}} Crusher]] was designed for [=GaoFighGar=]. It was actually used by [=Genesic GaoGaiGar=], whose arm is significantly bigger than [=GaoFighGar=]'s. As Geki Hyuuma advised, Guy "adjusted with [his] '''guts'''!"
* In an episode of ''PrincessTutu'', Fakir smashes through a window in order to confront the DarkMagicalGirl. (Mytho, however, just decided to use the door.)
* In ''{{Hellsing}}'', the Major deliberately drops a glass of champagne after [[AGlassOfChianti dedicating a toast]] to [[spoiler: the impending attack on London by Millenium]].
** There are two ''{{Hellsing}}'' examples, the second being when Alucard's wine glass falls and shatters (in slo-mo!) before the start of his fight with Luke Valentine.
* ''UminekoNoNakuKoroNi'' does this with its {{Eyecatch}}. It actually comes straight from the visual novel, which would use the effect whenever there was about to be a time lapse in the narration.
* The 1970's anime version of TheLittleMermaid has Marina dramatically dropping a mirror on the floor after the prince told her that he's marrying another princess whom he believes saved his life when in reality it was Marina who saved him.
* Happens in episode 85 of ''RanmaOneHalf'' when Ranma accidentally falls into Akane's dish of pot stickers which causes it to fall and break. Cue Akane getting down on her knees and staring at it with a broken expression while dramatic music plays in the background.
* Reiga of ''{{Uragiri wa Boku no Namae wo Shitteiru}}'' does this deliberately with a wine glass in episode 7.
* [[{{Yu-Gi-Oh}} Pegasus]] has his [[AGlassOfChianti wine glass]] shattered after receiving a threatening message from Yami Yugi.
* In ''PokemonTheRiseOfDarkrai'', an hourglass does this near the beginning when it's knocked off of Tonio's desk by the spacetime distortions.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Real Life]]
* The shattering of the wine glass near the end of a traditional Jewish wedding.
* The traditional boat-launching ceremony of smashing a bottle of champagne against the hull.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Webcomics]]

* Alice, in ''[[{{Twilight}} Breaking Dawn]].''

A SubTrope of RuleOfDrama

* [[YuGiOh Pegasus]] has his [[AGlassOfChianti wine glass]] shattered after receiving a threatening message from Yami Yugi.

-> '''Lily''': "You broke your little ships"

-->-- StarTrek: First Contact