...Dramatic Irony in hamlet and Trifles The plays Hamlet and Trifles have many aspects in which they can be linked together. One key aspect I will be linking between the two plays is their use of dramatic irony. Although Trifles is much shorter than Hamlet and is only one act long we can clearly see dramatic irony and how it is key to the stories. Dramatic irony is when the words and actions of the characters of a work of literature have a different meaning for the reader than they do for the characters. For example when Hamlet sees the ghost of his father. His father and former king of Denmark tells him to avenge his death. He tells Hamlet that the present king Claudius killed him to take the thrown. We as the audience know that Hamlets reasoning for almost everything he does is in spite of what the ghost said but the people in the story have not a clue of this. By act II, the audience knows that Claudius killed the former king. The ghost has told him so, sending Hamlet into frenzy. However, Claudius and the others, apart from Horatio, a special case, do not. Therefore, when Hamlet puts his antic disposition on Polonius, Claudius, and Ophelia, all believe that he is mad; their misunderstanding is an instance of dramatic irony: the audience knows he is not mad in the way they believe him to be. Dramatic irony can also be clearly seen in Trifles. Dramatic irony is one of many ways it directly links Trifles and Hamlet together. In Trifles we (the audience) know that the women in...
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...LITR201-1402B-04: Literature: A Reflection of Life- PHASE 4 PART A Drama is also referred to as a play because it tells a story and is also performed on stage. In addition, drama is similar to plays in that it has a theme, a plot and is often narrated by a persona (Ghent, 2012, 629). Also, drama is also known as a play in that it evokes emotions and has a tone just like a play. During my high school days, the school invited a group of people who performed a play on HIV/AIDs. This was my initial time to timepiece a live stage performance. The characters perfectly represented their roles in that the audience felt as if the characters were real. For example, those characters representing HIV patients appeared weak and sad; the sounds were full of sympathy as they spoke. Every scene had its own sounds that paralleled the theme and purpose of the act (Meyer, 2011, p111). There were cries, mourns and even sounds of desperation. Throughout the drama, the audience was full of sad mood. HIV/AIDs infection was presented as something that people should be afraid of. The audience was also filled with pity and sympathy for the infected characters. Since it was my first encounter to see a live stage drama, the theme, scenes and characters were a great impact to my life and my understanding of what entails a drama. For a elongated time I had wished to be involved in a dramatic act until one day, my literature teacher appointed me and other colleagues to practice for a drama known as 'A Doll's...
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...a man and woman forming together to become one as equal partners. Unfortunately, in the plays Trifles by Susan Glaspell and Doll House by Henrik Ibsen. Marriage is identify as a type of union were women have to adapt to a mans need, and be subject to be beneath their husband. In both stories, the main idea and theme interact with each other in the sense of degrading women and leaving them with no sense of worth. The universal definition of Theme is defined as the subject of a talk or a person’s thought. However, in literature it’s illustrated as a main idea or the foundation for an entire piece. In the plays, Trifles and Doll House, one common similarity shared was theme. Identification of women was a main component because not only did both story portrayed women as not having any sense of identity but because their role were mostly determined by who their husband was. In Doll House, the main character Nora is initially known for her silly, childish ways. For example, “oh yes, Torvald let us…squander a little…I’ve been buying a lot…oh, please Torvald can I hung money on the tree…oh please wouldn’t that be fun.” (Act I) This quote demonstrate how poorly Nora thinks as a woman and how she acts and beg like a child just to get what she wants. As a matter of facts, because Nora acts like a child her husband treats her as such. Instead of calling her by her name he refers to her as his “little spendthrift….scat ter brain… squirrel” (Act II) Not only does he undermine her but he...
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...Susan Glaspell’s one-act play, Trifles, is based on actual events that occurred in Iowa at the beginning of the century. For two years Glaspell worked as a reporter for the Des Moines News, where she covered the murder trial of a farmer’s wife, Margaret Hossack, in Indianola, Iowa. Hossack was accused of killing her husband, John, by striking him twice in the head with an ax while he slept (Trifles 216). Trifles, written in the early 1900’s by Susan Glaspell. Glaspell wrote this play during a time of controversial feminist issues. Glaspell wrote "Trifles" to demonstrate the male assumption that women were insignificant members in a male dominated society. Because the men underestimate them, the women are able to prove they are not insignificant. The play opens at the Wright farmhouse where Mr. Wright has been murdered in his sleep. They entered in the house: county attorney, the sheriff, Mrs. Hale, and Mrs. Peters. The men and women have come to investigate the case against Minnie Foster, the wife of Mr. Wright. Most of the stuffs which the male characters supposed to be insignificant objects like the broken bird cage door, the quilt, the dead canary, and the entire kitchen consequentially lead to the solution (Trifles 219). The improper assumptions by men toward women can have dire consequences, as demonstrated in Glaspell's world. Combating these narcissistic assumptions displayed by men can result in a unity among women that can overcome any male caused disrespect...
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...April 7th 2009 Lit & Comp Trifles Marriage and beliefs can cause tension when it comes to law and justice. This is demonstrated in the one act play “Trifles” by Susan Glaspell. “Trifles” is a play that takes place in the early 20th century. This play is set at the scene of a murder, where a house wife is suspected of killing her husband. The story comes down to two women deciding what to do with newly found evidence. This causes tension between law and justice. The treatments these women receive during this story portray a larger statement about the role of gender and justice in society. For example, the Sheriff, Mr. Peters and his wife represent the conflict between law and justice because Mrs. Peters has to choose between her marriage to the “law” and her beliefs of justice. One important role in this story is sexism. “Trifles” involves drama within the male dominated society of the time period. The men in this play such as the Sheriff, the County Attorney, and Mr. Hale all represent the law. These men are in the play to try to enforce the law and find evidence against the suspected murderer Mrs. Wright. Justice is demonstrated in the characters Mrs. Peters, Mrs. Hale, and Mrs. Wright. Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale are at the crime scene supporting their husbands to find evidence. After being mocked by their husbands, Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale conceal the evidence they find to bring Mrs. Wright closer to justice. Mrs. Peters keeps her mouth shut and goes along with Mrs....
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...justice, in the case of "Trifles" is more complicated than that. Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters discover the dead bird of Mrs. Wright. This was to them a very clear evidence that Minnie was the one who killed her husband, however, somehow also justify the act. Mrs. Hale feel guilty for not being more attentive to Mrs. Wright “I might have known she needed help! I know how things can be—for women.” (Glaspell 1916: 191) They understand that Minnie's actions were more than a murder; it was the way to get rid of her husband and get her freedom. The fact that her husband strangled her bird was not really the reason; rather the act took her to the point of having the need to be freed from that social oppression to which she was transfixed. The ladies feel identified with the situation to the point where Mrs. Hale mentions “We all go through the same things-it's all just a different...
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...A writer tends to use their life’s experiences, influences, and beliefs to create their stories; this is exactly the case for the creations of “Trifles”, Fidelity, and Women’s honor by Susan Glaspell. In writing “Trifles”, Fidelity, and The Visioning she drew from her past and current experienced events to create such stories. Her writing career had first begun when she was in high school and progressed further into her college years. While attending college, her career spun off as a reporter for Des Moines Daily News. After a short time of being a reporter, she and her husband decided to return back to her hometown Davenport, Iowa to become a full time writer. This was the beginning of her becoming “one of the early-twentieth-century America’s leading playwright”(Rudnick). Fidelity was Glaspell third novel which was published in 1915. It took place in a small town in Iowa about a midwestern woman name Ruth Holland who was a rebellion against the environment she was surrounded by. She was committed in a relatonship with a man name Stuart Williams who was also married. Throughout the story, Ruth wants to amends relationship with her family but they seen her only as a bad woman. She started to grow by filling the voids in her life. When Stuart’s wife granted him the divorce, Ruth at this point decided to leave for New York alone to find her idenity, “rather than marrying a man she no longer loves” (Carpentier). Though it did not received as much fame as her other writings...
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...One act plays can be some of the most polarizing and engaging acts of art. Yet, after viewing director Jasmine Castello’s version of Trifles, it seems that the excellent source material conceived by Susan Glaspell has been let down by a lackluster production team. Written by Glaspell in 1916, Trifles follows a group men and women as the try and solve why an elderly woman’s husband was found upstairs with a rope around his neck, dead. While the men begin to search the premises for any inkling of the culprit, the wives who remain indoors discovers some dark secrets of their own. One of the strongest factors of the play was simply Glaspell’s material. Not only did it convey a sense of mystery, but it’s underlying message that you discover throughout...
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...Time is a term that is closely associated with change. Nothing remains the same over time. Progress and regress are presented in every aspect of life. Literature illustrates this on several occasions. This may be exemplified by observing Trifles by Susan Glaspell. Trifles illustrates adverse identifications of women in earlier Americana that correlate to the identity women maintain in our current society. Male dominance is one of the central themes displayed throughout the play. The women identified in Trifles have modest voices compared to their male counterparts. This causes numerous opportunities for male dominance from the beginning to the end of the play. Their opinions are blatantly disregarded. An instance of male dominance may be illustrated by the interaction between Mr. Henderson and Mrs. Hale. Mr. Henderson requests information regarding Mrs. Hale's relationship with the Wrights. Once Mrs. Hale begins to provide details regarding the Wrights' lifestyle, Mr. Henderson stops her mid-sentence and demands a brief answer. Another instance of male dominance is displayed when men brought attention to the women's handy work. When Mrs. Wright constructed a quilt, the men basically made fun of the women's craft. This is illustrated by the lines that state, “Mrs. Hale: It’s log cabin pattern. Pretty, isn’t it? I wonder if she was goin’ to quilt or just knot it? Sherrif: They wonder if she was going to quilt it or just knot it. (the men laugh, the women look abashed).” (Glaspell)...
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...Trifles: A Moral Justification for Murder The one act play “Trifles” depicts the views and passions of both men and women during the late-nineteenth century regarding the role of a woman. The characters in the play are the County Attorney, the Sheriff, and Mr. Hale, who are accompanied by Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters into the Wright’s home to investigate the murder of Mr. Wright. The men feel that the women are only concerning themselves with little things and make several condescending comments throughout the play displaying their views. While the men search for clues upstairs and in the outside barn yard, it is the women who cleverly piece together several clues leading to Mrs. Wright’s guilt in the murder mystery. But, because of the shocking evidence found by the women, they become sympathetic towards Mrs. Wright and decide to conceal their findings from the authorities. The women feel that the mental and emotional abuse Mrs. Wright received from her husband was justification for the crime in which she committed. Although murder is usually looked upon as an indefensible crime of selfishness, Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters actions were morally validated because of Mr. Wright’s own selfish and tyrannical actions; which left Mrs. Wright with no other alternative but to murder him in order to reclaim her liberty. From the beginning of the play, when Mr. Hale explains to the other men that he was visiting the Wright’s home in hopes of convincing John Wright to pitch in on a party line...
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...Shaurese Grate ENG 102 Professor Stone 17 September 2014 Trifles Trifles is a one act play in which the setting is on an old farm in a house in an unkempt kitchen. The plot basically revolves around a murder in which the wife is a suspect of killing her husband. In the beginning of the play, the County Attorney, the Sheriff, Mrs. Peters (who is the wife of the sheriff), and Mrs. Hale (who is the wife of the man that discovered the victim) were all in the home of the suspect and the victim. As the Attorney and the Sheriff investigate the crime, they proceed to make snide remarks about the upkeep of the kitchen. They make it clear that they believe that it is a woman’s place to maintain the household. “And yet, for all their worries, what would we do without the ladies? Dirty towels! Not much of a housekeeper, would you say, ladies?” (Glaspell 1369) As the men proceed to go upstairs and investigate the crime scene, the wives begin to do a little of snooping of their own. At this time they discover a dead bird and a quilt that Mrs. Wright was working on. They were confused as to why she switched from stitching to knotting. As the men returned to the women, they overheard their conversation about the quilt and found it humorous. “They wonder if she was going to quilt it or just knot it!” (Glaspell 1371) Here the Sheriff is acting as if the women are not smart enough to talk about anything except domestic tasks. However; I feel that this is ironic because...
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...disrespectful notion. “Trifles” deals with women status and treatment in society. Susan Glaspell shows the readers how men underestimate women’s interests and thoughts, especially since the whole play is set in a kitchen. Minnie had a miserable life ever since she married John Wrights who’s known as a hard man. She was a happy and full of energy who used to sing. She had nothing cheerful left but a bird, but unfortunately Mr. Wright choked it. She couldn’t help herself but to burst with anger, seize the opportunity and kill him. He took everything she loved: her voice, her body, her beauty and now all there was left: her bird. Sadly, Minnie represents many women all over the world today who are treated as neglected and worthless creatures who are suffering from physical and psychological assault. Technological development and world’s advancement isn’t necessarily related to the development of how people think. “Trifles” was written about a hundred years ago, and still its impact can be seen nowadays. Malala is a pakistani activist for female education and youngest Nobel Prize winner; who Taliban threatened then decided to kill her, and eventually they attempted to assassinate her, but luckily she survived her assassination attempt. Minnie and Malala are not really different from each other. Both of them are seen and treated as frail women who were banned from things they loved, and their lives had been taken over by a masculine society, they were not allowed to act as they pleased...
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...she is the main focus of a murder investigation. The story shifts views to two women, Mrs. Peter and Mrs. Hale who are internally struggling to decide their verdict on Minnie as well as deciding her faith. Throughout the story, the reader gets a glimpse of the struggle women face living in a world controlled by men. Susan Glaspell uses the symbolism of the trifles, dead bird, and the quilt to develop the theme of gender role throughout the Short story. Before the twentieth century, there were many stereotypical roles assigned to men and women. The men were seen as the head of the household so they would go out into the world and work in order to support their family. On the other hand, women would stay at home cooking, cleaning, and taking care of the children. In the short story “A Jury of Her Peers” the men viewed the women as facetious and incompetent from beginning to end. They would patronize the women by stating remarks like “women are used to worrying over trifles” (Glaspell...
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...Susan Glaspell was born in Davenport, Iowa, on July 1, 1876. In 1899, she graduated from Drake University with a Bachelors of Arts degree. Glaspell considered herself as a novelist, she was best known for her plays. One of her greatest plays were Trifles, which is a one-act play. She finished it in ten days (Wiedeman). It has played successfully throughout the United States and Europe, but was not performed as much during the mid-twentieth century. The play had an absent protagonist, Glaspell doesn’t write about Mrs. Wright. The play is focused more on the facts on the incident. Trifles is not just about a murder case, it is a cultural study that examines the status of women. This play was related to Glaspell’s individual career as a dramatist, she has covered a murder trial in which a wife killed her husband. The play opened on August 8. 1916, with her playing as Mrs. Hale, while her husband played Mr. Hale. Trifles introduces a technique Glaspell reuses in her other plays, which is central character never appears on stage. Since Mrs. Wright doesn’t appear in the play, it is very hard to figure out if she is good or bad because...
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...Plot Summary The setting for Trifles, a bleak, untidy kitchen in an abandoned rural farmhouse, quickly establishes the claustrophobic mood of the play. While a cold winter wind blows outside, the characters file in one at a time to investigate a violent murder: the farm’s owner, John Wright, was apparently strangled to death while he slept, and his wife, Minnie, has been taken into custody as a suspect in the crime. The sheriff, Henry Peters, is the first to enter the farmhouse, followed by George Henderson, the attorney prosecuting the case. Lewis Hale, a neighbor, is next to enter. The men cluster around a stove to get warm while they prepare for their investigation. Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale follow the men into the kitchen; yet, they hesitate just inside the door. They are obviously quite disturbed by what has happened in the house and proceed with more care than their husbands. In a play filled with minor details (trifles) that take on major significance, the entrance of the characters is very revealing. There is an obvious divide — social, psychological, and physical — separating the men from the women, a fact that takes on a larger significance as the play progresses. The investigation begins with Henderson questioning Lewis, who discovered the murder the day before. Lewis explains that he was on his way into town with a load of potatoes and stopped at the Wright farmhouse to see if John and Minnie wanted to share a telephone line with him, since they were neighbors...
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