Trifles by Susan Glaspell as Representation of the World of the Play - Essay Example

“Trifles” by Susan Glaspell as Representation of the ‘World of the Play’ Among great variety of literary genres a play may be perceived as one of the easiest to grasp. Still, that is not so. If only to consider the whole complicated world of a play with its numerous essential in their unity and entwinement aspects, it appears one of the most interesting genres in the point of its possible hidden secrets of the plot as well as other factors, such as possible mysterious background, social, spiritual, political and economic issues, which are brought up to the foreground by a playwriter’s concept and are represented by touching performance of actors. In this regard, Susan Glaspell’s play “Trifles” appears to be a perfect example of representation of all essential literary elements of the play’s world for their research and analysis. Research For the beginning it must be said that the play “Trifles” is based on real-life story from the experience of Susan Glaspell as a reporter. The thing is that “…she was assigned to report on a murder case: the homicide of John Hossack, a prosperous Warren County farmer who had been killed in his sleep” in approximately 1900 year (MidnightAssassin.com). Being one of the first reporters who arrived at the accident site, Glaspell has been aware that Hossack’s wife is suspected in her husband’s murder, while she swore it was an intruder blood-guilty for John’s death. In a few days, Susan Glaspell has visited Hossacks’ farmhouse. The scenery of its kitchen has made a striking impression on the reporter. As we can see, the story of her further play’s character John Wright’s murder almost doubles the true story from Glaspell’s experience of the reporter. But there is one interesting point, that is, the time of the writing and performance of “Trifles”: “First performed by the Provincetown Players at the Wharf Theatre, Provincetown, Mass., August 8, 1916” (Glaspell). The time gap accounts for almost sixteen years. Then the obvious question arises: what circumstances prompted Glaspell to write the play? Having her previous practice of writing plays during 1909-1915 years, the playwrighter has decided not only to convey her ideas on paper, but also to animate them onstage before audiences. In this intention her husband has served as an active supporter and immediate participant of Glaspell’s ideas. “In 1915, at their summer home in Provincetown on Cape Cod, the couple organized a group of local artists as an amateur theatre group and staged a number of one-act plays in a converted fish warehouse” (Britannica.com). The Provincetown Players, as they called their group, have raised numerous sharp socially driven issues of that time, including the theme of women’s oppressed position in a males’ society, which is magnificently shown in “Trifles”. In particular, the action of the play takes place in Wrights’ farmhouse, probably in the same Provincetown, Massachusetts, the USA. That house belongs to the dead John Wright and his wife Minnie, who has spent almost all her time in the kitchen, where the whole play’s scene or rather to say its key part happens. As it becomes obvious at the end of the story, every tiniest detail of the kitchen settings is of a great importance for understanding of Wrights’ life within their house, as well as for realization of possible Mrs. Wright’s motives for killing of her husband. There are several semantic worlds of the play “Trifles” presented in their brightest way. Notably, the Social world includes manifestation of prejudiced societal beliefs on the part of traditionally thinking men and some women that females’ destination is caring for their husbands and children without any notions of their self-realization out of the house’s bounds. This certain legend determines the lifestyle of its characters. The male part of the townspeople feels themselves extremely comfortable in such a context where they occupy the place of so-called world owners, while females suffer from spiritual humiliation and even emotional abuse that describes the Spiritual world of the play. In such a manner Glaspell’s particular emphasis on ‘trifles’ (which are not trifles actually) from women’s being serves as a manifestation of the urgent need to change their life through changing of their perception in the males’ society. This is the very point where Glaspell’s feminist position is brightly reflected, as she has been “…a founding member of Heterodoxy, a radical group of women activists who were prominent in the feminist movement of New York in the years 1910-1920” (Evans). As for the Political world, it finds its depiction in the domestic issues of the characters, namely: the investigation of John Wright’s death shows that the whole rule belongs to men, while women are almost politically deprived from any authority, starting from the right to speak. So it is undoubtedly that finances of family are concentrated in the hands of males, as all property belongs to them, while their wives are perceived as just work force for their wellness. That is the Economic world of the play’s characters. Directing and Design Proposal “Trifles” is a great play itself in all its aspects from Glaspell’s idea to its realization onstage. But nevertheless it is possible to direct another theater production of the play. Here is how it would be presented in our Directorial Concept. The particular theatre space that would be chosen is in the Provincetown Theater (TripAdvisor.com). https://www.facebook.com/pages/Provincetown-Theater/53645057538?sk=photos_stream As it is seen, there is no large field in the theater. In fact, the large acting area is not even required, as the whole visible essential scene takes place in the kitchen. Surely, the key idea of our choice in favor of the Provincetown Theater lies in ideological area, that is, not to remove the play from its original stage. This aspect adds to refreshment in audience’s minds the spine of the play, which is the manifestation of women’s ability to occupy equal status in the society, as they are groundlessly considered to be almost unable to any other activities except house-holding and caring for their families. Surely, we would not be a kind of skeptical director, as our idea of the timeliness of that issue agrees with Glaspell’s feminist point of view. So, there would not be serious changes in the scenery or correction of actors’ performance. Still, one original notion is presented in our Directorial Concept: it would be rather useful for audiences to hear an open proclamation of women’s fatigue of their oppressed state in the males’ society where only men held the whole power in their hands. In particular, this might be realized in one additional closing scene of the play by the means of dialogue between the three female characters of “Trifles”: Mrs. Wright, Mrs. Peters, and Mrs. Hale. In practice, their exchange of ideas in that very kitchen of Wrights’ house (where Minnie comes to take her necessary clothes being released on bail) might serve as a kind of counter-argument to men’s narrow-mindedness in their vision of women’s part in their life. Surely, this Directorial Concept would be currently important even for modern audiences, as regardless visible man-woman equality womenfolk’s independence is still somehow perceived in a skeptical way in some aspects of life. The Directorial Concept would be realized through the Unified Design Concept. Among major scenery elements everything would be remained at their places, including its key elements of a birdcage, rocking chair, kitchen table being left in half a mess, as they all represent major so-called trifles from women’s life of housewives. As for the characters’ costumes, they would be in the manner of that time, with a small accent on women’s appearance in clothes – they might be a bit brighter for underlining their at least visible importance and physical presence among men. In this respect, light and sound elements would be of a great assistance for the aim: backlight and downlight are enough for illumination of the stage, while there would be suitable music bridges between scene changes. There is no doubt acting would be extremely touching and dramatic with its emotional climax in the closing scene. To sum it up, our research of Susan Glaspell’s play “Trifles” has changed our primary view of the story and directly affected the creation of the Directorial Concept. Its particular impact accounts for realization of women’s extremely oppressed position in the men’s society and the urgent need to change it through compelling attention to females’ thoughts and feelings in the additional closing scene of our production of the play. Works Cited Britannica.com. Susan Glaspell. American Dramatist and Novelist. Retrieved June 11 from: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/234882/Susan-Glaspell Evans, Elizabeth M. Biographical Influences on Glaspells Trifles. American Literature Research and Analysis Web Site, 30 July 1996. Retrieved June 11 from: http://itech.fgcu.edu/faculty/wohlpart/alra/glaspell.htm Glaspell, Susan. Trifles. 1916. Retrieved June 11 from: http://www.gutenberg.org/files/10623/10623-h/10623-h.htm Midnight Assassin.com. Susan Glaspell. Retrieved June 11 from: http://www.midnightassassin.com/Glaspell.html TripAdvisor.com. Provincetown Theater. Retrieved June 11 from: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g41778-d103696-Reviews-Provincetown_Theater-Provincetown_Cape_Cod_Massachusetts.html Read More