What Are The Two Main Dramatic Questions In Trifles?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

, , , ,

The dramatic question that Trifles presents us with at the outset is

“Will a motive be found for Minnie to have killed her husband?

” (or, alternatively: will the prosecutor end up with the evidence he needs to convict his suspect of John Wright’s death?

What is the main conflict in Trifles?

The major conflict in this play is

external — the men versus the women

. The male sheriff, country attorney and neighbor look for evidence, while Mrs. Hale, the neighbor’s wife, and Mrs. Peters, the sheriff’s wife, gather clothing to take to Mrs.

What are some of the key dramatic elements of Trifles?

Lots of symbols are represented in all the “trifles” around the house, such as

the frozen compote, the canary cage, the state of the house, and the state of the stitching of Minnie Wright

. All of these are symbols of a traumatized mind that is about to lose control.

What are two symbols in Trifles?

  • Trifles. The title of the play refers to the concerns of the women in the play, which the men consider to be only “trifles.” …
  • Canning Jars of Fruit. The canning jars of fruit represent Minnie’s extreme concern over her role as wife and her household responsibilities. …
  • The Dirty Towel. …
  • The Quilt. …
  • The Dead Bird.

What is the main theme of the play Trifles?

The main themes in Trifles are

gender, isolation, and justice

. Gender: the male characters only want to gather evidence of Minnie’s crime, whereas the women come to understand the emotional pain that drove Minnie to murder her husband.

What is the answer to the major dramatic question of Trifles?

The dramatic question that Trifles presents us with at the outset is “

Will a motive be found for Minnie to have killed her husband?

” (or, alternatively: will the prosecutor end up with the evidence he needs to convict his suspect of John Wright’s death?

What are the drama elements?

Dramatic elements are essential features of every performance. Actors manipulate dramatic elements to shape and enhance meaning. The dramatic elements for VCE Drama are

climax, conflict, contrast, mood, rhythm, sound, space and tension.

What is the climax of Trifles play?

In Susan Glaspell’s play “Trifles,” the climax occurs when

Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale decide to hide a dead bird from authorities investigating a murder case.

What is the conflict in a jury of her peers?

The main conflict

surrounds the death of Minnie Wright’s husband and the fate of Minnie Wright

. There is a conflict over how men view women vs how women would want to be viewed and treated.

Where is Mrs Wright?

During Glaspell’s classic short story “A Jury of Her Peers,” Minnie Wright does not appear in her own house. Instead, she is absent. To be specific,

she’s in jail

. This is indicated in passing, through conversation.

What does the fruit symbolize in Trifles?

The canning jars of fruit represent

Minnie’s extreme concern over her role as wife and her household responsibilities

. … The canning jars are broken as Minnie feared, and this symbolizes the inevitability of her conviction.

What does the knot symbolize in Trifles?

The act of knotting a quilt is linked to the act of killing a man with a rope around his neck. The play ends with George Henderson asking the women how Minnie was going to finish the quilt. Mrs. Hale’s certainty that she was going to “knot it” symbolizes

the women’s certainty that Minnie killed her husband

.

What does the cage symbolize in Trifles?

The birdcage represents

how Mrs. Wright was trapped in her marriage, and could not escape it

. The birdcage door is broken which represents her broken marriage to Mr. Wright.

Who although never seen on stage is the most important character in Trifles?


Minnie Wright

, perhaps the most important character in the play Trifles, never appears on stage.

What is the irony in Trifles?

The irony of Trifles is in

the reversal of gender roles

: the supposedly silly women solve the crime, while the men miss everything that is important. A further irony is that the audience knows what the men don’t, which is the fact that Minnie did indeed kill her husband and the motivation behind this murder.

Who killed Mr Wright?

In Trifles, it was

Minnie Wright

who killed John Wright. In the play, Mr. Hale describes how Minnie acted the day he discovered that John was dead.

Rachel Ostrander
Author
Rachel Ostrander
Rachel is a career coach and HR consultant with over 5 years of experience working with job seekers and employers. She holds a degree in human resources management and has worked with leading companies such as Google and Amazon. Rachel is passionate about helping people find fulfilling careers and providing practical advice for navigating the job market.