Trifles By Susan Glaspell Research Paper

The play Trifles by Susan Glaspell may not follow all the elements of Greek tragedy as described in Aristotle’s Poetics, however it does contain some important elements that he suggests, including how the plot is a tightly constructed cause-and effect chain of actions that do not rely heavily on the character and personality of the protagonist and a second element is conveyed through Glaspell’s characterization of her protagonist who is to be pitied and has found herself amidst a great upheaval due to a tragic moment in which she snapped. Trifles follows Aristotle’s outline for plot fairly closely; the play’s incentive moment begins as the characters enter the Wright’s kitchen, the men in search of clues to prove Mrs. Wright’s guilt and the women in search of Mrs. Wright’s supplies that she needs while she is in awaiting trial (Glaspell 69-70).

Wright; they decide to take Mrs. Wright her sewing basket and in a box amongst the sewing, in which they think is her sewing scissors, they find wrapped in silk, a bird that has been suffocated (Glaspell 76). The resolution of the play is when the women decide to hide the box with the dead bird from the men in order to protect Mrs. Wright from further prosecution (Glaspell 78). The plot is complete and self-contained; the entire play takes place in one scene and revolves around discovering the facts about the events that led to the death of Mr. Wright. The plot is very intriguing and multilayered, and although it is short, it displays significant meaning and is thought provoking. Glaspell’s plot is Aristotle’s definition of complex; it contains both a peripeteia and an