Susan Glaspell's play, " Trifles ," may not be the typical Greek tragedy, judging by the poetic elements discussed by Aristotle. However, the play does not fail in exhibiting some of these elements in a somewhat subtle form. One such aspect is character formation. Glaspell builds primarily on the tragic character, Minnie Forster Wright who is suspected of murdering her husband (Glaspell, 2010). The play centers around the murder investigation in the Wright's farm and focuses on the women who are in the farm to help Mrs. Wright pack her belongings, though they end up doing more investigations than the sheriff and the team. The evidence gathered by Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale point towards Mr. Wright's hurting his wife by breaking the birdcage and killing her bird, which was her only sense of joy. This act leaves Mrs. Wright broken and hurt, and the woman cannot help but empathize with Minnie whose sad, lonely life equally prone the reader to see the tragic figure Mrs. Wright is.
The play additionally follows the five parts of plotting which make up the plot aspect of a Greek tragedy. The first part (exposition) highlights the investigation team showing up at Wright's farmhouse to find out more about the murder of Mr. Wright (Glaspell, 2010). Glaspell then builds on the rising action in which the two teams hunt for clues on the crime. The men hunt for evidence that will convict the widow while the women look for evidence to vindicate her. The play reaches its climax when Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters hide the deaden bird from the sheriff, thereby showing unity and solidarity for Mrs. Wright. Since this is a one-act play, the author jumps right to resolution after the climax, skipping the falling action. The resolution is arrived at when Mrs. Hale and the other women hide any clue from the county attorney and his team (Glaspell, 2010); hence the men close the investigations for lack of evidence.
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References
Glaspell, S. (2010). Trifles . Baker's Plays.
