Trifles is a shorter kind of a play, referred to as a "one-act
play" in the drama world. As you may have noticed, this play has two plot
lines: the one offstage involving Mrs. Wright and Mr. Wright, and the one
onstage involving Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale plus the 3 men who walk on and off
the stage and belittle the women each time they pass through. The onstage drama
is the most central, because that is, in fact, what is acted out. In your
response to the prompt below, be sure to stick to one of these plot lines (don't
jump plot lines!).
For the sake of
discussion, let's focus on Mrs. Wright. Some would say that she's the
protagonist of this realistic drama, since all the action and dialog of the
play centers around her and her alleged actions. But how can she be the
protagonist if her character is not portrayed by an actor on the stage? Minnie
Wright is not among the characters listed for this play. Take the stand that
her character CAN be considered a protagonist, or take the stand that some
other character/s are clearly the protagonist/s of what is acted out on stage.
Either way, defend your position.
Your paragraph should be
about 200 words, and it's due Sun., May 12, at midnight.
I take the side that Mrs. Wright is the protagonist. While she is not directly in the play/ on stage she is still the central figure. She is the person the two women are discussing and the person that the three men are investigating. I do think it could be argued that she is not the protagonist, but she is also involved in the Sentra problem. She is the suspected murderer. That’s a pretty big problem and she could or could not be the cause of it but in any case, she is involved. If she did not commit the murder she is involved because the man was her husband. If she did comment the murder she is still definitely involved because she will be going to jail. Mrs. Wright also killed the bird, in the same way that her husband was killed, and stated that she was in the same room. It does not look good for Mrs. Wright, but in any way you look at it she is involved and the central character of every aspect of the play.
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ReplyDeleteI argue for the idea that Mrs. Wright is the protagonist. Despite not being on stage, the story revolves around Mrs. Wright and the investigation as to who killed Mr. Wright. The conversations that took place on stage revolved around Mrs. Wright. The characters were talking about her personality, actions, and life. Many people could argue that Mrs. Wright was not on stage and, therefore, she is not the protagonist, but I noticed that not having Mrs. Wright on the stage explains the whole purpose of the play: that any woman's voices are not heard during that time. And the fact that they took her in without any proof for her or against her says a lot. However, since the story is central to her, it makes her the protagonist. In the play, our understanding and ideas about Mrs. Wright change. From not knowing anything about her and just having suspicions of her being the murderer to understanding her personality and understanding she is the killer but also knowing the motivations behind her killing. Although her reason does not justify her killing her husband, it still shows us that in any way you examine the play, Mrs. Wright is involved and is central to the story.
I think that Mrs. Wright is indeed the protagonist of the play "triffles". Although Mrs. Wright never appears onstage, the entire narrative revolves around her. The play opens with the discovery of her husband's murder, and the subsequent investigation focuses on uncovering clues about her state of mind and potential motives. Her presence looms large over the audience driving the actions and conversations of the other characters. I think that she is also the protagonist because the audience get to truly know Mrs. Wright and who all she was and what all she had been through. Not only did the create sympathy for the other girls towards Mrs Wright, but the audience was able to sympathize over her as well. What also helped the woman to sympathize over Mrs. wright was when they started to piece together all of the items in the house. Overall, by highlighting Mrs. Wright's character and her being the protagonist, you can see how she represents as the protagonist in the play trifles.
ReplyDeleteI would stand for Mrs. Wright being the protagonist 100%. Taking it back when we first started learning about what a protagonist is, we were taught there are about four main parts of what it takes to be considered the protagonist of the story and this is, number one. A protagonist is the central of the story, although Mrs. Wright didn't appear on stage she was most definitely the central of the story. Number two, is dynamic (shows growth, changes, does not remain static) I believe that Mrs. Wright had more of an emotional roller coaster, considering the fact that her husband was the one that pass however, her ending up being the murder due to the domestic violence she was in while her husband was alive. That can be considered as "showing growth" is the fact that she is no longer in that situation. Moving onto number three, being involved in the conflict. Now, this goes without saying that Mrs. Wright was obviously the central idea of the conflict, I mean I would say she was the one who triggered it all. And lastly, making a decision, towards the end of the play she is caught red handed with the murder of her husband. All in all Mrs. Wright is most definitely the protagonist of the story whether she was actually in it or not. Because without her, there would be no story/play.
ReplyDeleteThough never on stage nor a physical character in the play, I believe Minnie Wright is the protagonist of "Trifles". It is similar, in my mind, to a novel telling the story of its protagonist from a third person perspective, in which the narrator is not the main character. The story in "Trifles", though told by Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale, centers around Mrs. Wright. Her not appearing on stage does not change the fact that the entirety of the play revolves around her past, her actions, and her life. There would be no story to tell without her. Though her actions were extremely flawed, Minnie is a great representation of a protagonist in a work of realism. She grew as a character through her actions, changing from a woman who had lost her confidence to a woman who was brave enough to protect herself. The play does not defend her actions, but it does give reason as to why she would have done what she did, and this makes the audience sympathize with her. Minnie was not malicious, but she was flawed. Like any protagonist, her character was layered and complicated. She did not have to appear in the play for this to remain true.
ReplyDeleteI would argue that Mrs. Wright is the protagonist in the play “Trifles” as the entire plot of the play is centered around her character and her actions. One of the key aspects of a protagonist is a character that influences the overarching story and plot in a play or other form of literature. As we see throughout the play, all of the characters on screen such as Mrs. Peters, Mrs. Hale, and Sheriff Peters are all trying to figure out why Mrs. Wright did what she did, and I believe that her actions have a tremendous amount of influence on the plot of the story and the characters involved. In my opinion, a protagonist is a character that doesn’t necessarily have to be physically present in the actual story, but if the plot is based on their actions and they possess an influence over other characters I would consider that to be fitting the protagonist role. I understand that there can be several arguments made in support of Mrs. Peters or Mrs. Hale as being the protagonist, but in this case, I do think that Mrs. Wright possesses more qualifications of being the protagonist as I think she has a greater impact, and compelling effect on the story and the characters involved in the story.
ReplyDeleteI would argue that Mrs. Write is the protagonist of this realistic drama. Generally speaking, a protagonist is the central role of the story, usually facing challenges that help build their character development. Although Mrs. Wright's character was not portrayed by an actor on the stage, the play still revolved around her and her choices. She was the suspected murder, and this provided a conflict that the story revolves around. The two woman Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters had to face the obstacle of finding out why and how she killed the man. This not only left an impact on the general plot but the entire outcome of the story. We also learned how Mrs. Wright was faced with the challenge of her husband killing her songbird. Her personal character development was deciding to murder her husband in return. While many could argue that it wasn’t the right decision, protagonists aren’t always the “good guy”. This decision by Mrs. Wright was morally complex and I think it not only made the story more compelling but contributed to the realism of the play.
ReplyDeleteI think that Mrs. Hale is the actual protagonist of “Trifles.” While Minnie Wright seems most central to the story, Mrs. Hale is really the character that drives the plot forward by recounting details of Minnie’s life to Mrs. Peters, eventually eliciting her empathy. She is also the first character to speak in defense of Minnie, after the county attorney comments on her poor housekeeping. She curtly replies, “Those towels get dirty awful quick. Men’s hands aren’t always as clean as they might be.” This sets a more compassionate tone toward Minnie for the rest of the play and offers some foreshadowing into what will be revealed later on: that John Wright’s hands weren’t exactly clean in regard to the motive for his death. Mrs. Hale is also dynamic in that she demonstrates a change in her opinion of Minnie’s guilt. Early in the play, she declares that she doesn’t believe that she committed the murder. As she recounts Minnie’s life as the lonely, isolated wife of a cruel man, she comes to realize that Minnie did in fact kill her husband, but that her motive is largely understandable. As she faces this realization, she also must grapple with the fact that she never visited Minnie, and with the conflict of what to do about the evidence she and Mrs. Peters have found. Ultimately, Mrs. Hale is the one who makes the decision to hide the evidence. “Then, Mrs. Hale rises, hands tight together, looking intently at Mrs. Peters… then her own eyes point the way to where the box is concealed.” As demonstrated, Mrs. Hale displays the four core tenants of a protagonist.
ReplyDeleteThis post by Tamara S.
DeleteI am taking the stand that Mrs. Wright is the protagonist of the play “Trifles.” She isn’t shown in the play due to her being in jail for the suspected murder of her husband, Mr. Wright, but her story is told through the plot and dialogue of the characters presented. Although the audience never actually sees her, I think the requirements of a protagonist should be the same as the antagonist. We have learned that an antagonist doesn’t have to be a person or a physical thing, but it can also be a force of nature and even a social construct. All they have to be is something that affects the story in a major way; such a way that the story wouldn’t be the same or even exist without that element. I think Mrs. Wright is the same way. Without her there would be no story to tell, and we probably wouldn’t have seen any of the current characters either. She is the one that creates the play’s themes of sympathy, loyalty, controversy, etc. through her story. I do not know if what she did was right, but she definitely had a lasting impact not just on the characters but the audience as well.
ReplyDeleteIn the story "Trifles", I think that Mrs. Wright is the protagonist even though she is not directly on the stage or a physical character. I think that the 2 women, Mrs. Hale, and Mrs. Peters, do a great job describing Mrs. Wright's character and personality. In this play, a woman's husband has died and Mrs. Wright is the suspected murderer. Then the 2 women, Mrs. Hale, and Mrs. Peters discuss as to why and how she might have killed the man. In the play, we see how Mrs. Hale is carrying the plot forward by telling all the details of Mrs. Wright's life to Mrs. Peters and eventually bringing out a sense of empathy. She is also the first person to speak in defense of Mrs. Wright after the county attorney comments on her mess in the house and the quilts. Later in the play, we see how Mrs. Hale looks at her own life and realizes that she is lonely and isolated. As well as being married to a cruel man. In the play, she is sad that she never visited Minnie. I think that when
ReplyDeleteMrs. Hale decides to hide the evidence, which is the dead bird and quilt, she clearly shows the 4 four core tenants of a protagonist.
In the play, "Trifles," I can totally see Mrs. Wright being the protagonist despite the fact she doesn't play a physical role in the play. The entire plot of the play is the investigation of Mrs. Wright being suspected of murder. Though Mrs. Wright doesn't have a physical role in the play, we do get a bit of insight of who she is through the women, Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters, who were there at her house with the investigators. The two women are gathering supplies to bring Mrs. Wright in prison because they feel bad for her and what she has to now endure. We learn a little bit about who she was through Mrs. Hale's description of her. Mrs. Wright's character as a whole is very complex and the story revolves around her, who she is, and what she's done. Mrs. Wright was central to the conflict, as she is a murder suspect, and her character shows growth in the idea that she escaped the suspected domestic violence situation with her husband, though in a way that isn't necessarily good.
ReplyDeleteThrough the "Trifles" play, Mrs. Wright that appears only on the stage becomes the central character. Her narrative entirely is based on the process of investigating her suspected participation in the killing of her husband. Along with their passionate acting, Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters are able to help us capture Mrs. Wright's identity and the similar context of her life. Mrs. Hale herself does this the most, playing the role of a confidante for Mrs. Wright by showing compassion and understanding towards her, while society is on the other hand, criticizing and making fun of her. The course of the action makes Mrs. Hale to think things through, which implies her feelings of aloneness and guilt too, just like Mrs. Wright's feelings. Therefore, the emotional weight lies on Mrs. Hale's shoulders, quite symbolically, particularly when she keeps her mouth shut as the integrity and defiance of a protagonist. While Mrs. Wright was absent from the stage, her influence was as potent as it was pervasive, directing the narrative and precipitating thoughts of consistent with themes of justice, mercy and social norms.
ReplyDeleteOn the matter of Mrs. Wright being the protagonist, I’m overly torn about it. It’s really not a big deal to me whether she is or isn’t the protagonist but the more I thought about it, the more I became against her being the protagonist. Don’t get me wrong, I could make the defense that she is the protagonist and I have absolutely no problem with her being the protagonist, I actually think it would make sense and be cool for a character who isn’t even shown, be the protagonist. Again, there are a lot of supporting arguments I could make for her being the protagonist. However, :) the more I truly thought about the topic, my mindset began to change, it makes sense for me to be honest and it may seem “black and white” to think she isn’t the protagonist but for me, the more “Black and white” I thought, the more I saw her as the protagonist, and once again, she could be either! Protagonist or not, she could be both. I would have to disagree with her being the protagonist, and I’m not saying I’m right on this, but for me personally, it didn’t make sense, while watching the play, in the end, I felt that Mrs. Hale (I think it was her) felt more as the protagonist to me and I think that’s a fair statement. I just think a lot of the story’s plot is driven because of Mrs. Hale, not saying the plot revolves around her, but let’s say there is a movie about two brothers going on an adventure to find their longtime missing father, the plot can be revolved around their father, and even the very decisions and steps they take can be heavily influenced by their father, to me, it doesn’t make sense for the father to be the protagonist? No, I’ll most likely gravitate toward the character who shows depth and screen time (I’m biased like that). Although these two situations and stories are different, I admit, that I just couldn’t help but be biased towards Mrs. Hale, she had the screen time, and she made decisions that affected the story and even Mrs. Wright. She found the bird, she hid the bird, she expressed her thoughts and concerns, more than the other characters ESPECIALLY Mrs. Wright, and I’m not trying to hate on Mrs. Wright, I’m just saying Mrs. Hale took the show for me, so I gravitated towards her, and I think that’s fair. Of course, that doesn’t mean I’m right about this, but I just thought maybe I could defend another side of the story.
ReplyDeleteI stand by Mrs. Wright being the protagonist. Although she does not appear onstage, the story plot revolves around her and that is one of the main considerations to being a protagonist. The story is revolving around her actions, her growth, and her life. She used to be a woman who did not have confidence and she grew and took a stand to defend herself. She became a suspect of murder which the conflict arises for her then. We as the audience felt sympathy for her even though her situation was what it was. The story's focus is on understanding her perspective and knowing what the factors were for the decisions she made.
ReplyDeleteI believe that there isn't a better character to be the protagonist besides Mrs. Wright. The entire plot focuses on actions she caused, that being the murder of her husband. All the men are completely focused on that action, barely even making time for small talk before moving to investigate more about Mrs. Wright. And on the other hand, the two wives (who do most of the investigating) are focused on all the small things that may have lead to Mrs. Wright snapping, ultimately killing her husband. And throughout the small discoveries the two other wives find, we kind of see how Mrs. Wright is a dynamic character, first being portrayed as a women who snapped out of nowhere, but ending as a women who was abused and mistreated, who snapped due to her husband's actions. Without the mention of Mrs. Wright, there wouldn't even be much of a plot, seeing as it all the dialogue and decisions are made around actions she did.
ReplyDeleteI think I can confidently say that Mrs. Wright is the protagonist even though she is not shown on stage. Since she was being suspected of the murder, I think her story and narrative was told super well through the other two ladies who were investigating. I think Mrs. Hale did the best of describing her and her qualities which truly bring out her character and you can get a sense of who she is. I just think a protagonist needs to be mentioned and lot and they make a major impact on the story which she definitely does. If she wasn't convicted or even mentioned in the story, it would have led to nothing and there would have been no base line story. So I 100% think she is the protagonist and deserves to be.
ReplyDeletekaydence ellison
DeleteIn "Trifles," Minnie Wright does a very good job at standing out as the main character, even though she's not actually on stage. Through what Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale find out, we grasp onto a good picture of Minnie's life, how she felt isolated and desperate, especially with her husband. The way I looked at it was the dead canary is a symbol of how trapped she had to have felt. As the women dig deeper, they show how Minnie was stuck in this oppressive society that silenced her. Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale make the decision to step up, kind of representing Minnie's voice and challenging the guys who just brush things off. Even though Minnie's not there in person, her story is very central to everything that's going on. It makes you think about her situation and how unfair things were for her. In this way, Minnie Wright emerges as a powerful protagonist whose story resonates far beyond the confines of the stage.
ReplyDeleteFrom the story “Trifles,” I would argue that Mrs. Wright is the protagonist of the story, by looking at all the attributes and characteristics that make a protagonist. While she may be absent in this story, Mrs. Wright is clearly the center of the plot and conflict. The conflict of whether she is guilty of murdering her husband or not, is the center of all conversations between all the characters in the play. In addition, other than Mrs. Wright, there is not really a character that “stands out,” or leads the story. Of course, Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hail are very important characters, but they mostly talk about Mrs. Wright, and are on the same level of importance as each other, which means there isn't one character standing out, other then Mrs. Wright. Mrs. Wright also shows how she is dynamic, as we learn more about her and her motives as the story progresses. Mrs. Peters and Hail find out that she was probably very frustrated with the way she was treated, and how that changed her personality and behavior over time. Once she runs into conflict with her dead bird, as Mrs. Peters and Hail discover she presumably responds to that conflict by murdering her husband. All these characteristics of a protagonist show how she is the main character.
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to which character I admire most, It would have to be Ruth but mama is a close second as well. Ruth shows discipline and intuition for her family and works hard and does everything in the interests of her family and puts them first before herself. As her husband Walter, Walter shows selfishness. Mama shows as well this act of being grateful and having gratitude for the position they are already in and wanting the money to be taken lightly and not as something completely necessary. This shows admiration for her family and strength behind who she is. From that even though Walter is a little selfish and Beneatha is young and somewhat a little too ambitious, they have strength with who they are and what they want to do as well which we can see comes from their mother. And this also shows admiration because even though they all have different views and thoughts on the money, they all really just want to help in the end, even if Walter shows it as more of needing a better life than being grateful for the okay life they have. It’s understandable he wasn’t better for his family and himself, but his sympathy and compassion lacks way more than those of Ruth and Mama have, which has me admire them far more.
ReplyDeleteI think Minnie would be considered the protagonist, because she shows grow or change, makes a decision, is central to the story, and experiences a conflict. Even though the events already happened, meaning Minnie didn’t really change in real time in the story, from what the wives know she had changed, from the beginning of the timeline we know of from before her husband was killed and after. She made the decision to kill her husband because he killed her song bird, she experiences the conflict of weather or not to kill him before the act of doing it, and she is central to the story because they were contemplated during the entire play if she could have done it and was continuously talked about. Thus I believe Minnie is the protagonist of the story even though she never had an actor to portray her in the play.
ReplyDeleteI argue on behalf of Mrs. Wright being the protagonist. Even without her being listed as a casted character, she is completely central to the story with the investigation of the murder of her husband, and her being the primary suspect. All of the dialogue and action in the play surrounds Minnie and her past life as compared to present. This is where her dynamic is shown, through the representations of her through the other women’s perspectives. The conflict directly involves her as well, which is self explanatory because of her being the accused. It is clear that the “decision” that must be made was murdering her husband after he killed her bird, and this challenges our understanding of a protagonist because murder contradicts a “moral” decision. However, Minnie still has every trait of a protagonist and the complexity required to be considered one.
ReplyDeleteMinnie Wright has a pivotal part in "Trifles," yet her absence from the stage does not lessen that function. Her actions and circumstances propel the story along even if she is not physically there, making her the main character in the drama that is developing. Minnie's character is developed, her hardships are highlighted, and her purported acts function as a springboard for examining more general topics like gender roles and social neglect through the women's conversations and findings. Although the men might brush off Minnie's worries as "trifles," the women understand their importance, sympathizing with her situation and eventually identifying her as the play's invisible but indisputable heroine.
ReplyDeleteIn "Trifles," even though Minnie Wright isn't physically there, she's still the main character, the one who drives the story forward. Sure, she doesn't walk onto the stage, but her presence is everywhere, in every word spoken and every action taken. The fact that she's not there in person actually makes her even more important. She's like this invisible force that affects everything that happens.
ReplyDeleteMinnie's absence makes you think about her even more. You hear about her struggles and her life through the other characters, especially Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale. They talk about her like she's right there with them, even though she's not. And every little thing they find, every clue they discover, it's all about her.
In a play where silence and secrets are everywhere, Minnie Wright represents all those things. She's fighting against what society expects of her, trying to make her own choices. And even though she never speaks a word on stage, her presence speaks volumes. In the end, it's her story that stays with you, even after the curtains close.