Comparative Analysis Essay: Trifles and A Doll's House Drama

This essay provides a comparative analysis of Susan Glaspell's 'Trifles' and Henrik Ibsen's 'A Doll's House,' examining the themes of feminism, societal expectations, and the roles of women in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The essay explores how both plays depict the subjugation of women within their respective societies, highlighting the constraints placed upon them by their husbands and the broader social structures. 'Trifles' focuses on the investigation of a murder and the discovery of the victim's suppressed life, while 'A Doll's House' portrays a woman's struggle for independence and self-discovery, ultimately leading to her departure from her family. The essay delves into the characters, their motivations, and the dramatic techniques used to convey the plays' central themes. It also considers the historical context of the plays, reflecting the rise of the women's movement and the challenges faced by women in a patriarchal society. The analysis includes the conflicts, the importance of the setting, and the use of symbolism to reveal the characters' internal struggles and the broader societal issues addressed by the plays.

Running Head: DRAMA ESSAY
Drama Essay
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author’s Note

1DRAMA ESSAY
Trifles- Susan Glaspell
“Trifles” by Susan Glaspell was first performed in the year 1916, on 8 August and is
considered to be the product of the Early twentieth-century Women’s movement in the school of
feminism which saw a steady rise in the women literature depicting the social inequality and
suppression bore by the women in the society.
Glaspell was one of the ardent writers who reflected in her writings the different modes
of injustice in society and the way women are treated and positioned in society. The theme of the
play is evident with the usage of the women character and their view of the whole plot. The play
consists of a single scene showing the stagnation in society when it comes to women. The central
figure of the narrative is Mrs Wright who has been accused of the murder of her husband and has
been put behind bars for it. The lack of importance given to her in her own household shows the
lack of recognition given to her (Glaspell). Mr Wright, though dead was given more importance
by the sheriff and he did not want to waste his time listening about the wife pleating her apron.
The conflict of the play comes in the face of the two spouses of the men who followed
them to the scene of the crime and could feel the suffering of the women by observing the
condition of the house. Mrs Hale and Mrs Peters are in sympathy with Mrs Wright, who had to
live with an ill-tempered person and how she has changed after her marriage. Though, they
understand the situation which could have led to the murder; they admit that the punishment
meted out to her is fair on the basis of the legality. The conflict arises when we see both the
women hiding the strangled bird from the men and decides to dispose of the body without
informing anyone (Glaspell). The trivial nature of observation given to the little things lying
around the house shows the lack of importance given to the crime which reflected through them
done against Mrs Wright.

2DRAMA ESSAY
A Doll’s House- Henrik Ibsen
“A Doll’s House” by Henrik Ibsen is one of the best satire of the writer where he unfolds
the middle-class family and the struggle of the woman, Nora who had to pretend to petty and not
equally or more intelligent than her husband, Torvald.
The theme of the play was the feministic approach which was prevalent during the year it
was first published and performed in the year 1879. The play is also one where the same theme
as Trifle by Glaspell has been explored in more detail. In both the play we see the protagonist of
the game is a woman who has tried to deal with the subjugation in the hand of their husbands and
the society alike until the point they could not tolerate them anymore (Ibsen). The title of the
play itself shows how the woman of the house has been stripped of the recognition as an
individual and has been brought down to being an object whose control is in the hands of another
person. The reference of Torvald of Nora being his pet though loving also reveals the mentality
of the male in the society where the women are a thing of pleasure.
The way Nora is seen to be declaring that she felt like a man when she used the money
she had obtained through fraud for her trip to Italy shows the crippling effect the control of
money has brought down on her psychology (Ibsen).

3DRAMA ESSAY
Works- Cited
Glaspell, Susan. "Trifles." English.unt.edu. N.p., 2019. Web. 13 Dec. 2019.
Ibsen, Henrik. "A Doll's House." Www2.hf.uio.no. N.p., 2019. Web. 13 Dec. 2019.